The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) welcomed on Wednesday the verdict of a Turkish court to release veteran journalists Ahmet Altan and Nazli Ilicak
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th November, 2019) The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) welcomed on Wednesday the verdict of a Turkish court to release veteran journalists Ahmet Altan and Nazli Ilicak.On Monday, the court in Turkey's largest city of Istanbul acquitted opposition journalist Mehmet Altan and released Ahmet Altan and Ilicak, who were given suspended sentences. All of them had earlier been sentenced to life imprisonment over alleged support for US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, who is accused by Ankara of masterminding the 2016 coup attempt.
"A Turkish court ordered on 4 November the release under supervision of journalists Ahmet Altan and Nazli Ilicak who had spent three years in jail, accused of participating in the failed 2016 coup. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ and EFJ) welcome their release but urge authorities to remove the judicial control, stressing they were victims of trumped up charges," the IFJ said in a statement.
According to the organization, 125 journalists and media employees are currently jailed in Turkey, which is the biggest figure in the world.
The coup attempt, which mainly involved Turkish servicemen, took place across the country on July 15, 2016. Most of the struggle happened in the capital of Ankara and Istanbul. More than 240 Turkish citizens were killed and over 2,000 wounded during the unsuccessful military takeover. Ankara accused Gulen of masterminding the coup, but the cleric refuted the allegations.
