Jail Term for Journalist Güven Due to Tweet

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Verdict has been rendered in the trial of cumuriyet.com.tr Editor-in-Chief Oğuz Güven, who has been prosecuted due to a tweet posted on Cumuriyet’s Twitter account concerning a news report on death of Denizli Chief Prosecutor Mustafa Alper.

Güven was sentenced to 3 years and 32 days in prison on charge of “FETÖ (Fethullahist Terror Organization) propaganda”. The sentence was not deferred.

Evrensel daily Editor-in-Chief Fatih Polat, Cumhuriyet cartoonist Musa Kart, Alp Tekin from the DİSK (Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey Press Labor, Secretary General of the Journalists’ Association of Turkey Sibel Güneş, Republican People’s Party (CHP) İstanbul MP Barış Yarkadaş and Güven’s friends observed the hearing.

The verdict will be challenged.

What happened?

Cumhuriyet.com.tr announced the death of Chief Prosecutor Alper with the headline “Truck has sliced Chief Prosecutor Mustafa Alper who prepared the FETÖ indictment”. The headline was changed shortly after.

However, an investigation has been launched into Güven by İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office Press Offences Bureau on charges of “propagandizing for a terror organization” and “insulting memory of a person”.

Detained on May 12, Güven was arrested on May 15. Güven was released on June 14. (EA/TK)