On March 16, 2017, the 22nd High Criminal Court in Istanbul dropped 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” 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 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” was also dropped due to the prescription of four-month statute of limitations for pressing charges.