Amnesty International: Courts are Being Used to Strangle Media Freedom

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Amnesty International has made a statement on Cumhuriyet newspaper's trial following the Court of Appeal's approval of prison sentences for the newspaper's reporters and executives.

CLICK - Court of Appeals Upholds Verdict on Cumhuriyet Case, Journalists Say 'Goodbye' 

"Today's ruling to send the former Cumhuriyet staff back to prison exposes yet again the way in which politically motivated trials and unsound court decisions are simply rubber-stamped by an equally biased appeals process," said Andrew Gardner, Amnesty International's Turkey Strategy and Research Manager.

Gardner added, "The prosecution of scores of journalists and other media workers is an ongoing affront to press freedom and to justice. By using the courts to increase their stranglehold on the media, the authorities have once again displayed the ugly side of Turkey's broken judicial system. This should ring alarm bells for anyone who cares about freedom of expression."

What happened?

The İstanbul Regional Court of Justice, 3rd Penal Chamber upheld the verdict of the local court on the Cumhuriyet case yesterday (February 20). This is the final judgment for those who were sentenced to prison for less than five years. Those who were sentenced to prison for more than five years will appeal to the Supreme Court of Appeals.

According to the attorneys of Cumhuriyet employees, the following will be sent to prison after the court's final judgment: Journalist Hakan Karasinir, cartoonist Güray Öz, Cumhuriyet Foundation board member Önder Çelik, accountant Emre İper.

The following will appeal against the ruling: Former editor-in-chief Murat Sabuncu, former reporter and an incumbent MP for the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Ahmet Şık, Hikmet Çetinkaya, Orhan Erinç, CEO akın Atalay and columnist Aydın Engin. (HA/VK)