Turkish Court Jails 14 Journalists from Opposition Newspaper
The Telegraph - A Turkish court sentenced 14 staff of the country’s leading opposition newspaper to up to seven years in prison on terrorism charges on Wednesday, according to the newspaper.
Cumhuriyet Editor-in-chief Murat Sabuncu and investigative reporter Ahmet Sik were sentenced to seven years and six months in prison, according to Turkey’s state news agency. The journalists remain free pending appeal.
Three of 17 defendants were acquitted. Chairman Akin Atalay was convicted but will be released after already spending more than 500 days in jail.
The journalists were accused of supporting US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara claims masterminded the 2016 failed coup, and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Turkey considers the PKK a terrorist organisation.
Reporters Without Borders’ Turkey representative, Erol Onderoglu, told The Telegraph, “The trial was ridiculous enough from the beginning, since all the journalists already served many, many months in prison. But we notice now a harsh sentence and a disproportionate sentence.”
He added, “We denounce strongly the verdict for the legitimate work of journalists".
Mr Onderoglu also claimed that the journalists were mistreated in prison, including being kept in isolation.
The court also decided that the case of the newspaper’s former-editor-in-chief Can Dundar would continue separately.
The case was emblematic of what critics have called an attack on press freedom following the coup attempt.
Cumhuriyet is fiercely critical of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and has run front-page stories that have angered the president. Among those convicted are some of the biggest names in Turkish journalism.
The Committee to Protect Journalists ranked Turkey the worst jailer of journalists in the world.
We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!
Hope for Reunion: Repatriation Deal Reached for Ukrainian Children Deported to Russia
Russia has declared its intention to repatriate 48 deported Ukrainian children to their families, according to Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian Commissioner for Children's Rights
Veto: Russia Blocks UN Resolution Against Arms Race in Space
United Nations resolution aimed at halting the arms race in space, proposed by the United States and Japan, failed to pass the UN Security Council due to Russia's veto, Reuters and DPA reported
Hamas Signals Readiness for Truce and Disarmament
A senior Hamas official has conveyed the movement's readiness to entertain a five-year truce with Israel, agreeing to disarm and transition into a political entity on the condition of Palestinian statehood recognition within the pre-1967 borders
Presidential Runoff Looms in North Macedonia as Siljanovska and Pendarovski Advance
The presidential election landscape in North Macedonia is poised for a runoff between Gordana Siljanovska, representing VMRO-DPMNE, and Stevo Pendarovski, backed by SDSM
Poland Extends Helping Hand to Ukraine: Ready to Aid Return of Men of Conscription Age
Poland has announced its readiness to assist Ukraine in its conflict against Russia by facilitating the return of Ukrainian men of conscription age
European Parliament Passes Landmark Directive on Platform Workers' Rights
The European Parliament has approved the EU's inaugural directive aimed at regulating the employment rights of individuals working through online platforms