Terkoğlu and Kılınç are accused of “obtaining and disclosing documents and information concerning the MIT’s duties and operations” over a news report dated 3 March

Odatv News Director Barış Terkoğlu and reporter Hülya Kılınç were jailed pending trial on 5 March 2020 over a news report published online on 3 March on the news portal.

The report was titled “Sessiz, sedasız ve törensiz defnedilen Libya şehidi MİT mensubunun cenaze görüntülerine Odatv ulaştı” (Odatv obtains footage from quiet burial of MIT employee martyred in Libya).

Terkoğlu was arrested on 4 March during an early morning police raid on his apartment in Istanbul. Kılınç, who was taken into custody in Manisa, was later brought to Istanbul. Both journalists gave their statements to different public prosecutors at the Istanbul Courthouse later that day. They were both referred to a Criminal Judgeship of Peace on Duty around midnight. Both prosecutors sought imprisonment for the journalists. The court jailed both journalists pending trial as per the prosecutors’ requests.

Terkoğlu and Kılınç are accused of “obtaining documents and information concerning the MIT’s duties and operations” “Facilitating the procurement of documents and information concerning the MIT’s duties and operations” and “disclosing the contents of documents and information concerning the MIT’s duties and operations” under Article 27 of the Law on the State Intelligence Services and the National Intelligence Organization (MİT).