An Istanbul prosecutor filed charges against five prominent newspaper columnists who had criticized court rulings that tried to block an academic conference on the Armenian genocide, its first public discussion in Turkey. The conference, blocked by a court in May and again in September, was held on Sept. 24 after organizers changed its location.

The conference, blocked by a court in May and again in September, was held on Sept. 24 after organizers changed its location. The journalists, Ismet Berkan, Murat Belge and Haluk Sahin of the liberal newspaper Radikal, and Hasan Cemal and Erol Katircioglu of the center-right newspaper Milliyet, were charged with "influencing judicial procedures" and "publicly insulting members of the judiciary." They face up to 10 years in prison. A court hearing is expected on Feb. 7.