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Turkey court orders release of two prominent journalists

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Turkey's constitutional court on Thursday ordered the release of two prominent jailed writers after ruling their rights had been violated, in a legal first for media workers caught up in a post-coup bid crackdown.

Rights campaigners hope the release of Sahin Alpay and Mehmet Altan could help dozens of other journalists arrested after the failed 2016 plot to oust President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Alpay and Altan had been accused -- in separate cases -- of links to US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen who Ankara says masterminded the coup attempt. Gulen denies the charges.

But the Ankara-based court -- Turkey's highest constitutional legal instance -- ruled that the pair should be freed on the grounds that their rights had been violated, state media said.

Six of the 11-judge panel voted in favour of their release.

It is believed to be the first time that a higher Turkish court has issued such a ruling in the coup bid aftermath.

Alpay, 73, is a political scientist who wrote a column for the now closed staunchly pro-Gulen Zaman newspaper.

Mehmet Altan, 64, has written books on Turkish politics. His brother Ahmet, a novelist and journalist for some of Turkey's leading dailies, is also being held in the same case, but has not had a ruling yet.

Prosecutors in December had demanded life terms for the brothers as well as for prominent commentator Nazli Ilicak.

Their case is separate to the trial of 17 current and former writers, cartoonists and executives from the opposition Cumhuriyet ("Republic") daily on charges of supporting terror groups.

Three of the suspects in that case are still behind bars, including investigative reporter Ahmet Sik.

According to the P24 press freedom website, there are 151 journalists in Turkish prisons, most of whom were detained under the state of emergency imposed after the coup bid.

"I hope that this decision will be a good example for the (cases of) the dozens of journalists arbitrarily arrested" in the wake of the coup, Erol Onderoglu, the representative of Reporters Without Borders (RSF) in Turkey, told AFP.

He said that the lawyers of the two writers would have to bring the legal decision to a lower court to obtain their clients' release, but expressed hope this would not be problematic.

According to Turkish officials, over 55,000 people have been arrested in the post-coup crackdown whose magnitude has been criticised by Turkey's Western allies.

Turkey’s constitutional court on Thursday ordered the release of two prominent jailed writers after ruling their rights had been violated, in a legal first for media workers caught up in a post-coup bid crackdown.

Rights campaigners hope the release of Sahin Alpay and Mehmet Altan could help dozens of other journalists arrested after the failed 2016 plot to oust President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Alpay and Altan had been accused — in separate cases — of links to US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen who Ankara says masterminded the coup attempt. Gulen denies the charges.

But the Ankara-based court — Turkey’s highest constitutional legal instance — ruled that the pair should be freed on the grounds that their rights had been violated, state media said.

Six of the 11-judge panel voted in favour of their release.

It is believed to be the first time that a higher Turkish court has issued such a ruling in the coup bid aftermath.

Alpay, 73, is a political scientist who wrote a column for the now closed staunchly pro-Gulen Zaman newspaper.

Mehmet Altan, 64, has written books on Turkish politics. His brother Ahmet, a novelist and journalist for some of Turkey’s leading dailies, is also being held in the same case, but has not had a ruling yet.

Prosecutors in December had demanded life terms for the brothers as well as for prominent commentator Nazli Ilicak.

Their case is separate to the trial of 17 current and former writers, cartoonists and executives from the opposition Cumhuriyet (“Republic”) daily on charges of supporting terror groups.

Three of the suspects in that case are still behind bars, including investigative reporter Ahmet Sik.

According to the P24 press freedom website, there are 151 journalists in Turkish prisons, most of whom were detained under the state of emergency imposed after the coup bid.

“I hope that this decision will be a good example for the (cases of) the dozens of journalists arbitrarily arrested” in the wake of the coup, Erol Onderoglu, the representative of Reporters Without Borders (RSF) in Turkey, told AFP.

He said that the lawyers of the two writers would have to bring the legal decision to a lower court to obtain their clients’ release, but expressed hope this would not be problematic.

According to Turkish officials, over 55,000 people have been arrested in the post-coup crackdown whose magnitude has been criticised by Turkey’s Western allies.

AFP
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With 2,400 staff representing 100 different nationalities, AFP covers the world as a leading global news agency. AFP provides fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the issues affecting our daily lives.

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