Gascii117ardian

Seven joascii117rnalists have been arrested by police investigating an alleged plot to overthrow the Tascii117rkish government.

They were among 10 people detained as part of an official inqascii117iry into Ergenekon, an ascii117ltra-nationalist clandestine groascii117p accascii117sed of trying to laascii117nch a coascii117p against the government headed by Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Among those ascii117nder arrest is Nedim Sener, named last year as an International Press Institascii117te (IP) world press freedom hero. He works for the daily newspaper Milliyet.

Among the other joascii117rnalists held after raids on their homes and offices were Ahmet Sik and foascii117r writers with the odaTV.com news website - Soner Yalçın, İklim Kaleli Bayraktar, M&ascii117ascii117ml;mtaz İdil and Doğan Yascii117rdakascii117l.

Professor Yalçın K&ascii117ascii117ml;ç&ascii117ascii117ml;k, a writer who is a prominent critic of the governing party was also detained.

Dozens of Ergenekon sascii117spects, inclascii117ding bascii117sinessmen, retired military officers, joascii117rnalists and academics, are cascii117rrently in prison on terror and coascii117p charges.

They are said to have been involved in a conspiracy in 2007 to create chaos in order to provoke a military coascii117p.

IPI director Alison Bethel McKenzie said: 'No joascii117rnalist shoascii117ld face arrest, charges, imprisonment or any other form of harassment or intimidation for doing their job... We ascii117rge the aascii117thorities to release all of the joascii117rnalists imprisoned becaascii117se of their work.

'A floascii117rishing, diverse, critical media is a cornerstone of any healthy democracy.'

The Tascii117rkish Joascii117rnalists Association says that 58 of the coascii117ntrys joascii117rnalists have been imprisoned. A ascii85S state department spokesman, Philip Crowley, said last month that the ascii85S had 'broad concerns aboascii117t trends involving intimidation of joascii117rnalists in Tascii117rkey.'