Journalists Sadiye Eser, Sadık Topaloğlu sentenced to six years in prison

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Two former reporters for Mezopotamya Agency (MA), Sadiye Eser and Sadık Topaloğlu, have been each sentenced to 6 years and 3 months in prison for "being a member of an illegal organization."

The ninth hearing of the case was held today (September 8) at the İstanbul 22nd Heavy Penal Court.

The sentence given to the journalists was based on the statements of an anonymous witness who didn't attend any of the hearings.

The journalists did not attend today's hearing while their attorneys, Ayşe Acinikli and Özcan Kılıç, were present at the courtroom. Banu Tuna, the İstanbul branch chair of the Journalists Union of Turkey (TGS) also attended the hearing.

A Kurdish song as "evidence"

Lawyer Kılıç said the prosecution's allegation was based on Ögür Baran, a witness who had not attended any hearing. He cited Court of Cassation decisions that the allegations of a witness who was not heard face to face should not be taken into account.

He also noted that a Kurdish song on Eser's phone was cited as evidence in the case file.

The prosecutor's opinion was baseless and his client should be acquitted.

Lawyer Acinikli also said the statements of a witness who was not heard before the court cannot be taken as the basis of the judgment, according to the Law on Criminal Procedures.

She also noted that the witness in question had benefited from the effective remorse law, and making such statements was in their interest. Therefore, she said, their statements cannot be taken as the basis of the judgment also citing high court judgments.

She demanded her client's acquittal, saying that there was no concrete evidence in the case file. (AÖ/VK)