Turkish Court Orders Release of prominent novelist Asli Erdogan and linguist Necimye Alpay pending trial Thursday Dec 29,2016

A Turkish court on Thursday Dec 29,2016 ordered the release of prominent novelist Asli Erdogan and linguist Necimye Alpay pending trial. 

Asli Erdogan, who was on the board of a pro-Kurdish newspaper, was arrested August for allegedly belonging to a terrorist group.

An Istanbul court ordered Erdogan’s release under judicial supervision. The next trial hearing is scheduled for January 2017.

Asli Erdogan, who is not related to the president, is one of  Turkey’s most prominent contemporary novelists, the author of seven books, and her case sparked an international outcry. She was also a columnist and advisory board member of "Ozgur Gundem", although her collaboration with the opposition paper was brief.

Asli Erdogan has penned several well-received novels including "The City in Crimson Cloak", which was translated into several languages including English.

A trained physicist, she turned to literature in 1994, the year she published her first novel, “Kabuk Adam” (Crust Man). Her short story "Wooden Birds" received the first place prize from Germany's Deutsche Welle radio in a 1997 competition.

Many of her works have been translated into French. In 2005 she was shortlisted by the respected French literary magazine "Lire" as one of the “50 most promising authors of tomorrow”.