Cevheri Güven, Nokta
Medium:Print
Charge:No charge
Imprisoned:November 2, 2015
Murat Çapan, Nokta
Medium:Print
Charge:No charge
Imprisoned:November 2, 2015

Güven, chief editor of the privately owned weekly newsmagazine Nokta, and Çapan, the magazine's news editor, were detained by police in Istanbul on November 2, 2015, over a front-page cover on the results of Turkey's election, according to reports.

On November 3, Güven and Çapan appeared before the Istanbul 8th Penal Court of Peace, which ordered their detention pending an investigation of claims they incited an armed uprising against the state, according to German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle. According to the Turkish penal code, the offense carries up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

The arrests are related to the post-election issue of Nokta, which is known in Turkey for being critical of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), according to local and international news reports. The magazine's front cover included an image of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the headline, "The beginning of Turkey's civil war," local and international press reported. Police obtained a court order for Internet service providers to block Nokta's website and for police to confiscate copies of the magazine, reports said. Nokta's website was still blocked in Turkey as of December 1, 2015.

According to court documents shared by Nokta on its Twitter account on November 2, 2015, Istanbul Prosecutor Umut Tepe issued an order for police to detain and question Çapan and Güven over claims they were in violation of Article 214 of Turkey's penal code, which covers "provoking people to commit crimes."

According to the court documents shared by Nokta, Güven and Çapan denied any wrongdoing. The journalists had not been formally charged by December 1, 2015.

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