The Kurdish daily newspaper Azadiya Welat ('Freedom of the Country') was banned once more for one month on the grounds of "spreading propaganda for an illegal organization".
As reported by Dicle News Agency, the Istanbul 12th High Criminal Court based the decision for the publication ban on last Saturday's issue (27 March) because imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) Abdullah Öcalan was described as the "leader of the Kurdish people".
Fırat News Agency (ANF) put forward that the court made a mistake in translating the sentences subject to the ban.
Newspaper concessionaire and editorial manager Ozan Kılınç was sentenced to imprisonment of 21 years this February under the same allegations. Former Azadiya Welat official Vedat Kurşun is detained pending 32 trials and faces imprisonment of up to a total of 525 years. The Kurdish daily published in Turkey was imposed to several publication bans in the past. (EÜ/VK)
