Journalist Kadri Gürsel Released on Probation
* Photograph: Mustafa Hatipoğlu - İstanbul/AA
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Journalist Kadri Gürsel was released from prison on probation at 8.30 p.m. yesterday (May 29). Gürsel announced his release on Twitter:
"I was released at 8.30 p.m. from the Metris Prison, where I was sen at around 3.30 p.m. today. I am grateful to my lawyers İlkan Koyuncu and Vecihi Tokuç. I would like to extend my thanks to the prison personnel who made enormous effort to enable my release."
He was imprisoned again
Journalist Kadri Gürsel, who was sentenced to 2 years, 6 months in prison on charge of "knowingly and willingly aiding a terrorist organization as a non-member" in the Cumhuriyet newspaper case, was imprisoned again for the execution of his sentence yesterday.
On February 19, 2019, the 3rd Penal Chamber of the İstanbul Regional Court of Justice, the court of appeal, upheld the verdicts of imprisonment and acquittal previously given by the İstanbul 27th Heavy Penal Court.
Accordingly, Gürsel went to the İstanbul Courthouse in Çağlayan yesterday upon invitation. After the legal procedures at the courthouse were completed, Gürsel was sent to the Metris Prison in İstanbul so that the necessary procedures for probation could be initiated.
Gürsel: I should have been acquitted
Sent to prison in police company, Gürsel said,
"The written notice came on May 20. It requested my appeal to the prosecutor's office in 10 days. The offense charged is purely [related to] journalistic activities. I have to acquire the right of probation.
"I am potentially a person who should have been acquitted; however, I am being imprisoned again. In fact, the execution of my sentence must be stopped and I have to be retried and acquitted.
Sharing a message on his Twitter account as well, Gürsel also said,
"Complying with the call that I have received for the execution of my 2.5-year prison sentence, I have appealed to the Public Prosecutor's Office. My previous 11-month prison term equals to the execution period of a 2.5-year prison sentence. My re-imprisonment for execution is against the law.
"The execution of 2.5-year prison sentence, the 11 month of which I served in prison, shall be executed on probation as per the law. I have been imprisoned in spite of this."
What happened?Lastly in the Cumhuriyet case, the İstanbul Regional Court of Justice (court of appeal) upheld the verdicts of conviction given on April 25, 2018. Accordingly, while the case files of the ones sentenced to more than five years in prison have been sent to the Supreme Court of Appeals, it has been ruled that Güray Öz, Musa Kart, Hakan Kara, Önder Çelik, Kadri Gürsel, Bülent Utku, Mustafa Kemal Güngör and Emre İper, who have been sentenced to less than five years, shall be imprisoned. Considering the 11 months that he previously served in prison, Kadri Gürsel requested the execution of the rest of his sentence on probation. After the court of appeal upheld the prison sentences of journalists and lawyers, an objection was raised to the İstanbul 27th Heavy Penal Court; however, the execution of the sentences has started. An appeal has been made to the Supreme Court of Appeals for Murat Sabuncu, Akın Atalay, Aydın Engin, Ahmet Şık, Hikmet Çetinkaya and Orhan Erinç, who have been sentenced to more than five years in prison. |
(EMK/SD)