Dear Change supporters, This has been an important week for journalists in jail in Turkey. On Monday, 24 July, the trial of 17 Cumhuriyet journalists and executives, who face up to 43 years in prison on accusations that their reporting lent support to terrorists, started. Cumhuriyet, is one of the few remaining opposition voices in Turkey, and this case is intended to silence the last critical voice in the country. Representatives of IPI were in Istanbul, together with other international organisations, to monitor the trials, support our colleagues from Cumhuriyet and send a message to Turkey’s government: “The World is Watching”. All international free expression organisations and Cumhuriyet supporters joined a demonstration outside the Istanbul courthouse prior to the start of the trial. IPI’s Director of Advocacy and Communications Steven M. Ellis, addressed the crowd and urged authorities to release the journalists. He called the trial nothing more than an attempt to “punish those who speak out”. Video: http://m.dw.com/tr/d%C3%BCnya-cumhuriyet-davas%C4%B1n%C4%B1-izliyor/av-39816464 IPI has been monitoring and reporting news from the trial. You can find the complete summary of the trial in these links, and follow-up on our website: ipi.media Day 1: https://ipi.media/cumhuriyet-trial-day-one-international-observers-slam-bogus-charges/ Day 2: https://ipi.media/cumhuriyet-trial-day-two-defendants-push-back-against-lawless-indictment/ As Kadri Gürsel, Cumhuriyet columnist and IPI Board Member, said in his speech: “It shouldn’t be forgotten that journalists are curious people and [in the course of their work] they meet different people. This activity cannot be a crime and cannot be punished in a democracy. This is called journalism, and journalism is not a crime.” His full defence statement can be found here: https://ipi.media/kadri-gursel-defence-statement-all-of-these-accusations-are-unreal/ We are thankful that the international media have their eyes on Turkey this week. The world is pointing out the absurdity of the charges and stressing the importance of true democracy and a free media in Turkey. The world is REALLY watching: https://ipi.media/cumhuriyet-trial-draws-attention-of-international-media/ The verdict of the trial will be out this evening, so we will be updating you shortly. You can follow the trial more closely via our Twitter account: @globalfreemedia or on our website: https://ipi.media Thank you for your support. If you want to support IPI in the fight for a free media, please donate to our Press Freedom Fund: https://ipi.media/support-us/