A Turkish court has ordered that five staff members of the opposition linked daily Cumhuriyet being tried on charges of "terror activities" remain in custody. The court yesterday rejected a plea to free them from detention during a trial being seen as a test for press freedom under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. <br/><br/>The case, which opened in Istanbul in July, involves 17 current and former writers, cartoonists and executives from Cumhuriyet, including editor-in-chief Murat Sabuncu and chief executive Akin Atalay.<br/><br/>The court justified its decision to keep the staff members in custody by saying it had been unable to question three witnesses called to the stand yesterday.