Journalist Hikmet Tunç sentenced to 8 months, 22 days in prison

* Photo: JinNews

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Standing trial for "insulting" Erkan Savar, the trustee appointed to Muradiye Municipality, in her news report "They have destroyed and disappeared", JinNews Van reporter Hikmet Tunç has been sentenced to prison.

The Muradiye Penal Court of First Instance has ruled that Tunç shall be sentenced to 8 months, 22 days in prison and deferred the announcement of the verdict. As the court heard the case in "simple trial procedure", Tunç's statement was not taken before the ruling, JinNews has reported.

What happened?

In her news report published on May 13, 2019, JinNews Van reporter Hikmet Tunç wrote that Erkan Savar, the trustee appointed to the Van Muradiye District Municipality, granted a tender of 4.5 million lira to companies for the landscaping and recreation works of the Muradiye Waterfall, but the companies disappeared before they completed the project.

After trustee Savar filed a criminal complaint against the journalist by arguing that Tunç "reported unfounded news", the Van Chief Public Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation against JinNews reporter Hikmet Tunç and the investigation turned into a court case later on. (KÖ/SD)