An Austrian journalist has spent one month in prison

Reporters Without Borders has again demanded the release of Austrian journalist Sandra Bakutz, who has now been held in prison in Turkey for one month. Bakutz, a journalist for Austrian radio Orange 94.0 and for the Germany weekly Junge Welt, was arrested by police on 10 February 2005, at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul. She has been charged with 'belonging to an illegal organisation.' "This imprisonment is based on vague suspicion. A date has been fixed for her trial and there is no justification for holding her in custody until then," the worldwide press freedom organisation said. "She went to Turkey to do her work as a journalist and should not be treated as a terrorist." In addition, the authorities have failed to respect the usual judicial procedure, since no international arrest warrant was served on Bakutz. She was taken on 16 February to a prison in Pasakapisi, Istanbul, and later transferred to Gebze jail, 50 kilometres further south. She was finally moved on 1st March 2005 to Ankara's Ulucanlar Prison, notorious for torture that took place there over a long period and which holds most of Turkey's political prisoners. Her case is to go before a high court with the first date fixed for 30 March. She faces between 10 and 15 years in prison. She is being defended by three Turkish lawyers: Selçuk Kozagagli, Özgür Yilmaz and Betül Vangölü. Turkey's Chief Prosecutor, Mustafa Kelkit in Ankara is proceeding against her under Article 168 paragraph 2 of the Turkish criminal code for "belonging to an illegal organisation" - the extreme left Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C) classed by the United States and the European Union as a terrorist organisation. No evidence of her membership of the organisation has been produced. Her lawyers made an application for bail while she awaits trial on 7 March, but the Turkish authorities have so far not seen fit to respond. Bakutz is in good health, but she is not permitted to telephone or have any other contacts with the outside world.