3 Turkish scholars arrested over 'terror propaganda' charges

Ankara, Mar 16: Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency says a court in Istanbul has charged three academics with making terrorist propaganda and ordered them arrested pending the outcome of a trial.

Their arrests late on yesterday came a day after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey should "redefine" terrorism and terrorists so that legal action can be expanded against anyone supporting terrorism including legislators, academics and journalists.

The three Istanbul-based academics were among a group of more than 1,000 scholars who in January signed a declaration denouncing military operations against Kurdish rebels.

The declaration angered Erdogan and led to legal proceedings against some. The three were detained for questioning earlier on Tuesday for holding a news conference last week during which they stood by the declaration.

AP