A Turkish opposition newspaper itself is the story as 17 of its employees are about to go on trial on charges of aiding a terrorist organisation, BBC reported.

If found guilty, their sentence could be up to 43 years in jail.

A dozen of Cumhuriyet's journalists and managers are behind bars in pre-trial detention. Ten of them have been imprisoned for almost nine months.

"I cannot touch him. I cannot hug him," says Elif Gunay, daughter of journalist Turhan Gunay.

"We talk over the phone behind a glass. When the time is up, they cut the line.

"It is so frustrating to be taken away from him every week."

Elif Gunay is allowed to visit her 71-year-old father once a week, for an hour. She says he has been through various health problems, including atherosclerosis (a hardening of the arteries) followed by an operation.

"But even that was not enough for him to be released on bail," she complains.

Mr Gunay is the editor-in-chief of the newspaper's book supplement. Ms Gunay says she still struggles to understand why he has been jailed.

"All I can say is that this is a political case. They are held for being journalists, for doing their jobs," she argues.

Just over a week ago, Turkey marked the first anniversary of a failed coup. There were massive commemorations held by thousands of jubilant people, hailing the day as the triumph of democracy.

But critics argue that day - and the introduction of the state of emergency soon after - were actually the beginning of a massive crackdown, with more than 50,000 people arrested in the last year.