Turkish Journalists Go on Trial over Alleged Coup Plot

Two prominent Turkish journalists charged with aiding a shadowy group aiming to topple the Islamist-rooted government went on trial Tuesday as press freedom campaigners demonstrated outside.

Award-winning reporter Nedim Sener and dissident journalist Ahmet Sik were in the Istanbul court for their first hearing along with 12 other defendants in the case which has sparked international concern.

Defense lawyers immediately sought the release of their clients, who face a maximum penalty of 15 years in jail if convicted, and the dismissal of the judges in the case.

Sener, who won the International Press Institute's World Press Freedom Hero award in 2010, and Sik, known for his reporting on human rights and other abuses, have been in custody since March.

They face charges of helping Ergenekon, a group accused of plotting assassinations and bombings to thrown Turkey into chaos and trigger a military coup against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

Outside the courthouse, some 200 journalist and human rights activists demonstrated for the release of the defendants. "No free society without freedom of the press," one banner read.

The arrest of the journalists sparked widespread concerns about freedom of expression in Turkey, which was also underscored in a report by the European Commission last month on the status of Ankara's EU membership bid.