Prosecutor Demands Aggravated Life Sentence in Coup Attempt Media Trial
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Prosecutor has demanded aggravated lifetime imprisonment on charge of “violating the Constitution” for six defendants in the July 15 coup attempt media trial of 17 defendants including Ahmet Altan, Mehmet Altan and Nazlı Ilıcak.
Arrested defendants Nazlı Ilıcak, Şükrü Tuğrul Özşengül and Yakup Şimşek were brought to the trial held at İstanbul 26th Heavy Penal Court.
Journalists Ahmet Altan and Mehmet Altan joined the hearing via Audio and Visual Information System (SEGBİS). Defendant Tibet Murat Sanlıman pending trial without arrest attended the hearing as well.
The prosecutor demanded that Sanlıman be tried on charge of “Knowingly and willingly aiding an armed terrorist organization though not being included in the hierarchical structure of the organization”.
Journalists Yasemin Çongar and Hasan Cemal too watched the hearing.
17 defendants six of whom are in detention on remand
An indictment has been drafted for the author Ahmet Altan, his brother Prof. Dr. Mehmet Altan, journalist Nazlı Ilıcak, then Editor-in-Chief of the closed Zaman daily newspaper Ekrem Dumanlı, former Taraf columnist Emre Uslu, journalist Tuncay Opçin, Samanyolu TV Representative to Washington Şemseddin Efe, former Editor-in-Chief of Today’s Zaman newspaper Bülent Keneş, Prof. Dr. Osman Özsoy, Zaman daily correspondent to Israel Abdulkerim Balcı, its vice editor-in-chief Mehmet Kamış and executive Faruk Kardıç, its visual director Fevzi Yazıcı, Police Academy academic member Şükrü Tuğrul Özşengül, Zaman daily brand manager Yakup Şimşek and Ali Çolak working at newspaper’s culture and art section Tibet Murat Sanlıman who is the owner of the advertising agency which allegedly evoked coup and was released on October 10, 2015 are standing trial.
Nazlı Ilıcak, Yakup Şimşek, Mehmet Altan, Ahmet Altan, Şükrü Tuğrul Özşengül and Fevzi Yazıcı are pending trial jailed.
There are detention warrants for Abdulkerim Balcı, Ali Çolak, Bülent Keneş, Ekrem Dumanlı, Emrullah Uslu (Emre Uslu), Faruk Kardıç, Mehmet Kamış, Osman Özsoy, Şemseddin Efe and Tuncay Opçin.
Erdoğan is plaintiff
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Presidency of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey and the 65th Government are mentioned as plaintiffs in the indictment on the grounds that they had been offended by the crime.
Sentences that the defendants face
Ahmet and Mehmet Altan, Nazlı Ilıcak
Three aggravated life sentences was demanded for Mehmet Altan, Ahmet Altan and Nazlı Ilıcak on charges of “Attempting to abolish the Grand National Assembly of Turkey or to prevent the parliament from performing its duties”, ““Attempting to abolish government of Turkey or to prevent it from performing its duties”, and “Attempting to abolish the Constitutional order”.
Furthermore, these three figures face jail term from 7.5 to 15 years in prison on charge of “Committing crime on behalf of an armed terror organization though not being a member of it” for “committing crime on behalf of the FETÖ”.
Dumanlı, Uslu and Opçin...
Three aggravated life sentences was demanded for closed Zaman daily former editor-in-chief Ekrem Dumanlı, former Taraf daily columnist Emre Uslu and journalist Tuncay Opçin on charge of “coup attempt”.
Besides, from 15 to 22.5 years in prison was demanded for the three figures on charge of “Being manager of an armed terror organization”, and Uslu also faces up to 3 years in prison for “inciting people to hate and animosity”.
Samanyolu, Zaman and Today's Zaman managers and workers...
Three aggravated life sentences was demanded for Samanyolu TV’s runaway representative to Washington Şemseddin Efe, Today’s Zaman daily former editor-in-chief runaway suspect Bülent Keneş, Professor Osman Özsoy, Zaman daily Israel correspondent runaway suspect Abdulkerim Balcı, vice editor-in-chief runaway Mehmet Kamış and manager Faruk Kardıç, the daily’s visual director Fevzi Yazıcı, Police Academy academic member Şükrü Tuğrul Özşengül, Zaman daily brand director Yakup Şimşek, daily’s culture and art section writer Ali Çolak on charge of “coup attempt”. (AS/TK)