A Turkish court on Friday ruled that one of the hunger-striking teachers, Semih Özakça, would be held under house arrest following five months in prison. The court ruled that academic Nuriye Gülmen would remain in custody, who could not attend the hearing for health reasons.
Primary school teacher Semih Özakça and academic Nuriye Gülmen have been on hunger strike over their sacking by government decree under the state of emergency imposed after last year's attempted overthrow of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
The trial was adjourned to November 17.
Gülmen and Özakça have been on the hunger strike for 226 days to protest their sacking under the state of emergency imposed after last year's attempted coup.
They have been surviving on salted or sugared water, herbal teas and vitamin B1, and doctors have described their condition as "dangerously weak."
After their dismissal in late 2016, Gülmen and Özakça protested daily in central Ankara, then began a hunger strike on March 9. They were detained in May over alleged links to the militant leftist DHKP-C group, deemed a terrorist organisation by Turkey. The Turkish government targeted them because of their protest and hunger strike.
