France continues to closely monitor the proceedings against the Turkish novelist Asli Erdogan and several other staff members of the Ozgur Gundem daily newspaper, who have been held in pretrial detention since August 17.

Our Consulate General in Istanbul is attending the first hearing in their trial today, together with several other EU member state representations.

We are also concerned about reports that journalist Ahmet Sik was taken into custody this morning.

As Jean-Marc Ayrault, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development, reaffirmed during his visit to Turkey on October 24, 2016, the legitimate fight against terrorism cannot justify undermining respect for the rule of law, fundamental freedoms, or the freedom of expression.