Nazlı Ilıcak Sentenced to 1 Year, 2 Months in Prison Due to Her Social Media Post

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Journalist and writer Nazlı Ilıcak, who was sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment on charge of "attempting to abolish the Constitutional order" as part of the investigation launched into Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ), has been sentenced to 1 year and 2 months in prison for "openly insulting the President" with her social media posts.

The prison sentence of Ilıcak, which was given due to a Twitter message of hers about Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan dated February 23, 2016, has not been suspended.

Indictment by Gaziantep Public Prosecutor's Office

The Gaziantep Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, which issued the indictment against Ilıcak, demanded that the journalist be sentenced to 1 year, 2 months to 4 year, 8 months in prison on charge of "openly insulting the President." The case file of Ilıcak was then referred to the İstanbul Anatolian Chief Public Prosecutor's Office with a foreign plea.

Ilıcak attended her hearing at the 53rd Anatolian Penal Court of First Instance in Kartal via Audio and Visual Information System (SEGBİS) and presented her statement of defense. The journalist stated that "the person whom she called a 'murderer' was not President Erdoğan, but Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK)."

The court board ruled that Nazlı Ilıcak shall be sentenced to 1 year and 2 months in prison. The prison sentence of Ilıcak has not been deferred. (HA/SD)