The Editors-in-Chief on Watch campaign of Özgür Gündem daily had begun on May 3, 2016 and ended on August 7, 2016. Daily was closed through the Statutory Decree No. 675 issued under the State of Emergency. Investigations have been launched against 50 of the 56 Editors-in-Chief on Watch who have participated in the solidarity campaign and 38 of them faced prosecution.

On March 16, 2017, the 22nd High Criminal Court in Istanbul dropped the case in which the former co-presidents of Free Journalist Association (Özgür Gazeteciler Cemiyeti), Hakkı Boltan and Nevin Erdemir, Alawite Wise Person Hasan Şanlı have stood on trial for “propagandising for a terrorist organisation” as they joined the Editors-in-Chief on Watch campaign in solidarity with Özgür Gündem due to the prescription of four-month statute of limitations for pressing charges.

The case in which the former editors-in-chiefs of Özgür Gündem Hüseyin Aykol and Eren Keskin and the former chief editor Reyhan Çapan were tried for “propagandising for a terrorist organisation” were also dropped due to the prescription of four-month statute of limitations for pressing charges.