Turkey’s Constitutional Court Rules for Release of Two Jailed Journalists

Turkey’s Constitutional Court has ruled for the release of two journalists, who have been imprisoned for more than a year and a half, reasoning that their rights to a fair trial have been violated during the legal proceedings.

Mehmet Altan, Professor of Economics and a respected columnist, and Sahin Alpay, a veteran journalist and a columnist were imprisoned on separate occasions in the crackdown on media after a botched coup attempt in 2016 summer.

They face charges of being members to terrorist organizations, abetting and executing a coup against the government, attempting to dismantle constitutional order and political system. Mr. Altan was arrested along with his brother Ahmet Altan, a famous novelist and former newspaper editor, on charges of “giving subliminal messages” to coup plotters in a TV program on July 14, a day before Turkey’s coup.

They both refuse the charges which they regard absurd and nonsensical.