A Court in Turkey Sentences Six Journalists to Life Imprisonment

A court in Turkey on Friday sentenced six journalists, including the Altan brothers, to life imprisonment. These journalists were tried in connection with the failed coup attempt two years ago. Mehmet Altan, an economics professor and journalist, and his brother Ahmet Altan, also a journalist, were accused of sending coded messages one day before the coup during a television program. Nazli Ilicak is another journalist among the defendants. All the journalists in this case have denied the allegations. This case has heightened concerns about the state of judicial independence and freedom of expression in Turkey under the administration of Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Since the failed coup in Turkey, more than 50,000 people have been imprisoned and over 150,000 have been purged. The ruling was announced by 'TRT News,' a state media outlet. Among the six defendants, three had already been in prison for 17 months. The Turkish Constitutional Court had previously issued a ruling for the release of Mehmet Altan, stating that his detention constituted a violation of his individual rights. However, the criminal court did not respect the Constitutional Court's ruling and decided to keep him in prison until the trial is executed. This ruling was issued on the same day that another court released Deniz Yucel, a German-Turkish journalist who had been detained for over a year without any charges. Ahmet Altan was arrested and charged for saying a sentence on television. He stated: 'Whatever the reason for any military coup that has occurred in Turkey before, Erdogan is currently following the same path.' In the same television program, Mehmet Altan referred to 'another structure' within the government and said this other structure was closely observing the conditions to take action. Prosecutors in the case claim these statements on television were coded messages to supporters of Fethullah Gülen. Ankara claims that the failed coup two years ago was orchestrated by Gülen, who has denied the allegations. David Kaye, the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression, described the issuance of these sentences in Turkey as a symbol of the repression of fundamental freedoms in the country. The lawyer for the Altan brothers stated that they would appeal this ruling.