A closed-door trial of two Turkish journalists accused of espionage and aiding a terrorist organisation has resumed, amid concerns over press freedoms in the country.

The Cumhuriyet newspaper's chief editor Can Dundar and Ankara bureau chief Erdem Gul face life imprisonment if found guilty of revealing state secrets over their reports on alleged government arms-smuggling to Syrian rebels.

The pair are accused of aiding the moderate Islamic movement led by US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, an opponent of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Their supporters outside the Istanbul courthouse chanted: "Free press cannot be silenced."

The case is seen as a bellwether over the future of press freedom in Turkey, which has witnessed a growing crackdown on independent and opposition media over the past few years.

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