Turkey sentences 6 journalists over terrorism charges

PanARMENIAN.Net - A Turkish court has sentenced six journalists to prison on terrorism charges due to their alleged links to the Gülen movement.

The 25th High Criminal Court of Istanbul found Yakup Çetin guilty of "membership in a terrorist organization" and sentenced him to six years and three months in prison. Five other journalists involved in the case were sentenced to two years and one month for "aiding a terrorist organization." However, Ali Akkuş was acquitted due to a lack of evidence, reports Turkish Minute.

The retrial followed a 2020 ruling by the Supreme Court of Appeals, which had annulled previous sentences, citing insufficient evidence. The court had determined that the journalists' alleged connections to the Gülen movement were not conclusively proven.

The journalists had previously worked for media outlets linked to the Gülen movement. After the attempted coup, their social media posts and journalistic work were used as evidence against them.