Two journalists to serve five years in prison
Turkish opposition Cumhuriyet daily's editor-in-chief Can Dundar (left), flanked by his wife Dilek Dundar (centre) and his son Ege Dundar (right) arrives at the Istanbul courthouse before his trial on April 1, 2016. Mr Dundar and another journalist, Ankara bureau chief Erdem Gul have been sentenced to five years in prison. PHOTO | AFP
What you need to know:
The two men were acquitted of espionage but were found guilty of revealing state secrets.
The two men were acquitted of espionage charges.
They will not immediately be placed in detention as the court of appeal has yet to rule on the case.
ISTANBUL, Saturday
An Istanbul court jailed two opposition journalists on charges of revealing state secrets, in a trial that has become a lightning rod for concerns about the erosion of press freedom in Turkey.
Can Dundar, editor-in-chief of opposition daily Cumhuriyet, was sentenced to five years and 10 months at the closed-door trial, while his Ankara bureau chief Erdem Gul was handed five years, television stations said.
The sentencing came hours after Dundar escaped an apparent attempt on his life by a gunman outside the court.
The two men were acquitted of espionage but were found guilty of revealing state secrets over a story accusing the government of seeking to illegally deliver arms bound for Syria.
They will not immediately be placed in detention as the court of appeal has yet to rule on the case.
“We will continue to do our job despite attempts to silence us,” Dundar said after the verdict. “We have to preserve courage.”
Media identified the gunman who attacked Dundar outside the courthouse as 40-year-old Murat Sahin.
