The trial of two Turkish journalists has resumed, with the two defendants facing charges of espionage and aiding a terrorist organization for their reporting that alleged the government was smuggling arms to Syria.
The closed-door trial involves Cumhuriyet newspaper editor-in-chief Can Dundar and Ankara bureau chief Erdem Gul. They could get sentences of life imprisonment if found guilty.
Their case, which has generated international interest as a test of press freedom, went to trial last Friday, but was adjourned until this week after opposition lawyers and politicians ignored the judge’s ruling to close the courtroom to the public.
Protesters have gathered at the courthouse in Istanbul calling, "Free press, free society."
The men are accused of publishing images that date back to January 2014 of Syria-bound trucks, which the newspaper said proved Turkey was smuggling arms into that country.