Constitutional Court to Examine Appeals of 10 Journalists

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The Constitutional Court will consider the applications oj jailed journalists two and a half years later. In its general assembly to be held on May 2, the court will examine the appeals of 10 journalists including Ahmet Altan, Nazlı Ilıcak, Murat Sabuncu, Akın Atalay, Önder Çelik, Murat Aksoy and Ahmet Şık.

As reported by Cansu Pişkin from the Expression Interrupted platform, releasing a statement on its website, the Constitutional Court has announced that it will consider the applications of 10 journalists in its General Assembly.

Examining the appeals of the journalists, the General Assembly will discuss the allegations that the arrest of journalists is unlawful and their right to freedom and security and freedom of press and expression have been violated by the restriction imposed on the investigation files.

In its General Assembly, the court will discuss the appeals of Murat Sabuncu, Akın Atalay, Kadri Gürsel, Ahmet Şık and Önder Çelik, who have been sentenced to prison in Cumhuriyet newspaper case.

Their prison sentences were upheld

Tried as part of the Cumhuriyet newspaper case, Önder Çelik was sentenced to 3 years and 9 months in prison and Kadri Gürsel was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison. Their prison sentences were upheld by the court of appeal in February 2019. With his prison sentence being upheld, Çelik was sent to prison on April 26. Kadri Gürsel has not been imprisoned considering the time that he previously served in prison.

Convicted in the same lawsuit, Akın Atalay was sentenced to 8 years, 1 months and 15 months, Murat Sabuncu and Ahmet Şık were each sentenced to 7 years and 6 months in prison. After their verdicts were also upheld, their files have been sent to the Supreme Court of Appeals.

Journalist Murat Aksoy was previously sentenced to 2 years and 1 month in prison on charge of "aiding a terrorist organization as a non-member" in the lawsuit known as 'Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ) media case." Application made via his attorneys in 2016 will be examined three years later.

They have been behind bars since 2016

Journalist and writer Ahmet Altan was taken into custody on September 10, 2016 and arrested as part of the lawsuit filed into the July 15 coup attempt. The personal appeal made to the Constitutional Court on behalf of Altan on November 8, 2016 was discussed on July 4, 2018 and referred to the General Assembly of the Constitutional Court.

The application of Nazlı Ilıcak, who has been also in prison for over a thousand days, has been waiting to be evaluated by the Constitutional Court since 2016. (HA/SD)