A court in Istanbul yesterday evening ordered the release of two of three journalists on trial in the OdaTV case that had remained imprisoned.

Representatives of the International Press Institute (IPI) and its Turkish National Committee travelled to the Silivri prison to greet Barış Terkoğlu and Barış Pehlivan, who emerged from the prison to a throng of supporters at almost midnight.

The pair, along with eight other journalists in the case, still faces trial on charges that they were supporters or members, respectively, of an armed terrorist organisation. OdaTV journalist Soner Yalçın remains imprisoned.

IPI Executive Director Alison Bethel McKenzie said: “We are elated at the release of our colleagues Barış Terkoğlu and Barış Pehlivan. Despite this success, however, we remain gravely concerned about Turkish authorities’ lack of respect for press freedom. We continue to aggressively call on authorities to release all journalists imprisoned for doing their job.”

The OdaTV case is named for a news website that has been fiercely critical of the government. Prosecutors say the website was at the centre of a purported effort to use the media to advance the alleged “Ergenekon” plot to use terrorism to sow chaos that would lead elements of the military and security services to stage a coup against Turkey’s current Justice and Development Party (AKP)-led government.