Court of Appeal Approves 2 Punishments Against Cemal, Reverses Acquittal

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The Court of Appeal has concluded the three files about journalist Hasan Cemal.

According to T24’s report, the court has reversed the acquittal verdict rendered in trial in which he was tried due to his article entitled “Çekilme Günlükleri” (Diaries of Withdrawal) facing up to 13 years in prison.

Cemal was sentenced to 15 months in prison for “propagandizing for a terror organization” in his article titled “Fehman Hüseyin”. The article is suspended for two years.

Cemal was fined 6,000 TL (1,500 Euros) on charge of “propaganda” for having participated in Editors-in-Chief on Watch Campaign by Özgür Gündem newspaper, which was closed through a statutory decree.

What happened?

In the trial of Cemal facing up to 2 years in prison due to his article entitled “Fehman Hüseyin”, the indictment was prepared by prosecutor Murat İnam, who faces lifetime imprisonment over “FETÖ (Fethullahist Terror Organization)” related charges.

The indictment said that the article included statements that attempted to “justify violent actions of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)” and praised the figure named Fehman Hüseyin.

In the trial heard on February 14, 2017, the court committee sentenced Cemal to 15 months in prison. The sentence was deferred for two years.

Cemal was fined 6,000 TL (1,330 Euros) on charge of “issuing terror organization’s statements” in the trial in which he was tried for having participated in Editors-in-Chief on Watch Campaign by Özgür Gündem newspaper, which was closed through a statutory decree. (EA/TK)