ADD ANI AS A TRUSTED SOURCE
googleads
ANI Logo
Menu
World

Turkey sentences 14 journalists over terror charges

Istanbul [Turkey], Apr 26 (ANI): An Istanbul court sentenced at least 14 journalists from Cumhuriyet (Republic) daily, Turkey's oldest national newspaper to different prison terms over charges of terrorism on Wednesday.

ANI Apr 26, 2018 06:18 IST googleads

Turkey Flag

Istanbul [Turkey], Apr 26 (ANI): An Istanbul court sentenced at least 14 journalists from Cumhuriyet (Republic) daily, Turkey's oldest national newspaper to different prison terms over charges of terrorism on Wednesday.

According to Anadolu news agency, Cumhuriyet Editor-in-Chief Murat Sabuncu, Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) Akin Atalay and Orhan Erinc, and three journalists - Ahmet Sik, Aydin Engin, and Hikmet Cetinkaya were sentenced to six to eight years of imprisonment on charges of "acting on behalf of a terrorist group without being members."

However, the court granted bail to Atalay, who earlier spent 1.5 years in jail for the same.

Another eight journalists from the Turkish daily - Bulent Utku, Kadri Gursel, Guray Tekin Oz, Haci Musa Kart, Hakan Karasinir, Mustafa Kemal Gungor, Onder Celik, and Yusuf Emre Iper were sentenced to four years in prison, as per the report.

The Cumhuriyet daily was one of the few newspapers in Turkey which was critical of the views of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The convicted journalists were earlier indicted in July 2016 for sponsoring the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party), Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) and other terrorist groups through media coverage.

The FETO and Gulen movement is responsible for a failed coup attempt to overthrow Erdogan, which claimed 250 lives and injuring over 2,000 others.

The PKK, which is based in Turkey, Iraq and parts of Syria, has been involved in an armed conflict with Turkey for the past few years. It has been listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. It is responsible for the deaths of more than 1,200 Turkish security personnel and civilians in the last few years.

The Istanbul court also sentenced a Twitter user named Ahmet Kemal Aydogdu to 10 years to imprisonment, who was accused of having maintained a popular Twitter account @Jeansbiri, which was allegedly affiliated with the Gulen movement, the report said.

In October 2016, Ahmet was detained on charges of spreading disinformation through the Internet. He was also charged for possessing a membership from an armed terrorist organisation.

According to human rights organisation, Amnesty International, one-third of journalists, media workers and executives were jailed in Turkish prisons in 2016.

Many international media experts and prominent journalists have criticised Ankara's media freedom law, adding that freedom of expression is under "sustained and increasing attack." (ANI)

Get the App

What to Read Next

Europe

ECO FAWN Society raises Pahalgam terror attack at UN Human Rights

ECO FAWN Society raises Pahalgam terror attack at UN Human Rights

At the 61st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), Yasser Laaroussi, from the ECO FAWN Society, during General Debate under Item 3, in his oral statement, highlighted the terrorist attack that took place in Pahalgam on April 22, 2025. He urged the international community to intensify efforts to combat terrorism and ensure accountability for attacks targeting civilians

Read More
US

Brazil’s Silveira rules out fuel shortages, slams speculation

Brazil’s Silveira rules out fuel shortages, slams speculation

Speaking to journalists, Silveira said the country's fuel supply remains stable and the government is closely monitoring developments in the international oil market as well as domestic price movements.

Read More
Asia

India rejects Pakistan's "baseless allegations"

India rejects Pakistan's

India on Thursday rejected Pakistan's allegations of aggravating skirmishes with Afghanistan, calling them "baseless" and accusing Pakistan of blaming others for its own misdeeds.

Read More
Europe

"Act of terrorism": Russia slams Mediterranean drone attack

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova condemned a drone strike on the commercial vessel Arctic Metagaz in the Mediterranean. Calling it "a terrorist attack & a war crime," she detailed the crew's rescue after a gas explosion, criticised Malta's refusal to assist the injured, and denounced the European silence.

Read More
Asia

Hardships grow as Pakistan tightens its grip in Balochistan 

Hardships grow as Pakistan tightens its grip in Balochistan 

Residents in Balochistan's Zehri and Surab regions are facing a severe humanitarian crisis due to a four-day curfew and military operations. The Baloch Yakjehti Committee reported acute food shortages, blocked healthcare access, and alleged house raids by security forces, urging international bodies to investigate these fundamental rights violations.

Read More
Middle East

Iran warns of attack on ports in West Asia

Iran warns of attack on ports in West Asia

IRIB Quoted the official as saying, "If any attack is carried out against Iran's economic ports, all docks, ports, and economic zones across West Asia will be destroyed."

Read More
Middle East

Three crew members missing after Iranian attack on Thai vessel

Three crew members missing after Iranian attack on Thai vessel

Three crew members are feared trapped in a Thai-flagged vessel's engine room following an Iranian strike in the Strait of Hormuz. The attack is part of an intensifying IRGC blockade, where international ships are targeted by drones if they move "even a few metres" without permission.

Read More
Middle East

Saudi military downs drones targeting Shaybah oil field

Saudi military downs drones targeting Shaybah oil field

Saudi Arabia intercepted multiple drones targeting the "Shaybah oil field" as regional tensions soar. Amid the conflict, Russia and Saudi Arabia "emphasised the need" for international efforts to prevent escalation. Meanwhile, the US warned Russia not to intervene, despite Trump and Putin discussing "opportunity for some peace" in Ukraine.

Read More
US

"IEA agreed to release 400 million oil barrels": Trump

Addressing a gathering in Kentucky, Trump said, "I'm pleased to report that earlier today, the International Energy Agency agreed to coordinate the release of a record 400 million barrels of oil from various national petroleum reserves around the world, which will substantially reduce the oil prices, as we end this threat to America and this threat to the world."

Read More
Middle East

177 Indians repatriate from Lebanon, over 500 depart Qatar

177 Indians repatriate from Lebanon, over 500 depart Qatar

According to the Indian Embassy in Beirut, the first batch of 177 Indian nationals was repatriated to New Delhi on a charter flight arranged by their employer on Wednesday. The group was seen off at Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport by India's Ambassador to Lebanon, Noor Rahman Sheikh.

Read More
Home About Us Our Products Advertise Contact Us Terms & Condition Privacy Policy

Copyright © aninews.in | All Rights Reserved.