The trial of Alican Uludağ, a Deutsche Welle reporter detained in Turkey, begins on Thursday in Ankara.
The journalist was detained in February and subsequently remanded in custody. According to the indictment, he is accused of insulting the president, spreading misleading information and repeatedly denigrating Turkey.
Uludağ, who denies all the charges, has been working as a reporter for Deutsche Welle for several years.
According to the international broadcaster, his reporting focused on the judicial system, human rights violations and cases of corruption in Turkey.
Following Uludağ’s detention in February, the German Minister of State for Culture, Wolfram Weimer, called on the Turkish government “to ensure that Alican Uludağ is released from custody immediately.” Journalistic work is not a criminal offence, he said.
Turkey ranks 163rd out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders’ Press Freedom Index. A large proportion of the media in Turkey is under direct or indirect government control.