Turkish journalists face life term over Ankara arms supply claims

PanARMENIAN.Net - Two prominent Turkish journalists have been charged with espionage after alleging that Turkey's secret services sent arms to Islamist rebels in Syria, according to BBC News.

Can Dundar, the editor-in-chief of Cumhuriyet daily, and Erdem Gul, the paper's Ankara bureau chief, face life imprisonment if found guilty. Both Dundar and Gul are accused of conducting espionage and aiding the Fethullah Gulen movement - which was previously a close ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan but is now considered a terrorist organisation by Turkey's government.

Their report and video footage attracted a political storm in Turkey and a lawsuit filed by the president.

Turkey faces severe criticism over its press freedom record.

The journalists, who deny the allegations against them, reported that trucks belonging to the Turkish intelligence agency MIT were used to carry weapons to Islamist opposition groups in Syria.

Video footage published alongside their report purported to show Turkish police officers intercepting the trucks and discovering crates containing weapons and ammunition.