A Turkish court has granted bail to three writers, including a well known novelist, at the start of their trial on charges of supporting Kurdish militants.<br /><br /> Asli Erdogan – who is not related to the country’s president – is among nine journalists and writers who went on trial in Istanbul on Thursday.<br /><br /> Supporters held a protest outside the court.<br /><br /> Sezgin Tanrikulu from the main Turkish CHP opposition party told reporters: “They were released from one prison to another. Turkey is like a prison now. It’s become a prison for thinkers and writers.<br /><br /> “However their release does give hope. I hope that in 2017 other journalists, friends and Ahmet Sik, who was detained today, will be released.”<br /><br /> Sik is another veteran writer taken into custody over comments he tweeted.<br /><br /> The nine writers on trial were arrested in August as part of a raid against the now closed down pro-Kurdish Ozgur Gundem newspaper. <br /><br /> They deny claims of being members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party and threatening Turkey’s unity.<br /><br /> The Turkish Union of Journalists says press freedom and freedom of speech is seriously under under threat in Turkey.<br /><br /> It says over 100 journalists are now in prison.<br />
