Constitutional Court Rules That Arrest of 2 Journalists is ‘Right Violation’

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The Constitutional Court convened yesterday (May 2) and examined the individual applications of Akın Atalay, Murat Sabuncu, Ahmet Şık, Önder Çelik, Bülent Utku and Kadri Gürsel, who were arrested in 2016 when they were working for the daily Cumhuriyet, and Murat Aksoy, who was tried in the case known as "Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ) Media Case."

The court discussed these applications three years later and after the people in question were released from prison and their cases were concluded.

Announcing its verdict for seven of the ten journalists, whose appeals were expected to be examined by the court yesterday, the Constitutional Court has concluded that only the rights of former Cumhuriyet columnist Kadri Gürsel and Murat Aksoy have been violated.

As for former Cumhuriyet Executive Board Chair Akın Atalay, former Editor-in-Chief of the newspaper Murat Sabuncu, its former reporter Ahmet Şık and Executive Board member Bülent Utku, the court has ruled that there is no violation of rights caused by their arrest.

But, let's think that the Constitutional Court had given a verdict of violation for the arrest of all journalists... What would change then? Shall we read it from the article of Gökçer Tahincioğlu from the T24 news website:

"If the Supreme Court had given a verdict of violation, then, it would mean that the court made a commentary that would be considered binding for the case files of journalists who were sentenced to more than five years in prison and whose appeals will be examined by the Supreme Court of Appeals.

"Such a verdict would also affect the cases of former Cumhuriyet workers who could not appeal to the Supreme Court of Appeals since they were sentenced to less than five years in prison and have been imprisoned again after their verdicts of conviction became definite."

Ruling on Altan, Ilıcak, Bulak to be announced today

The Constitutional Court will announce its judgement regarding the applications of journalists Ahmet Altan, Nazlı Ilıcak and Ali Bulaç today.

As indicated by Tahincioğlu again, it is highly likely that the court will give a verdict of violation for Altan and Ilıcak, who were sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment, but whose verdicts were demanded to be reversed by the Chief Prosecutor's Office of the Supreme Court of Appeals, as well as Bulaç, who was released in the case where he was tried with Altan and Ilıcak.

If a verdict of violation is given by the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court of Appeals will have to rule whether Altan and Ilıcak shall be released.

CLICK - Journalists Tried in Cumhuriyet Case Imprisoned Again

(EKN/SD)