Journalist Diren Keser sent to prison following sentence

Diren Keser, a reporter for the Alevi-focused Pir News Agency (PİRHA), entered prison after the confirmation of the prison sentence he received in the trial for his news articles and social media posts.

Arrested at his home yesterday evening (February 27), Keser was taken to Tarsus Prison.

Keser's lawyer said that the police conducted the detention without prior notice, which is contrary to the 'principle of honest procedure,' and emphasized, "Normally, notification should be made in cases where the sentence is less than 5 years, and arresting in this way is not in accordance with the law." The lawyer also pointed out that the confirmed sentence exceeded the initially given penalty related to social media.

Keser had been sentenced to 21 months in prison on December 26, 2017. During that period, Keser hosted the "Hak Yolu" and "Akdeniz’in Güncesi" programs on TV 10, which was closed by a state of emergency decree. (AS/VK)