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March 13, 2025 – Turkey –
A Turkish court has handed prison sentences to veteran journalists Ahmet Altan and Nazlı Ilıcak in the latest development of a long-running case linked to the failed coup attempt in Turkey in 2016. The ruling marks another stage in a legal process that has been repeatedly overturned and retried by higher courts over several years.
The Istanbul 26th High Criminal Court delivered its verdict in the retrial, sentencing Altan to four years and six months in prison and Ilıcak to three years and nine months on charges of aiding an armed terrorist organization without being a member. The ruling followed earlier appeals and reversals by Turkey’s Court of Cassation, which ordered the lower court to reconsider previous judgments in the case.
During the hearing, Ilıcak appeared in court alongside her legal team, while Altan did not attend the session. Defense lawyers argued that the accusations against the journalists were unfounded and referenced earlier decisions by the European Court of Human Rights, which found that Altan’s rights to freedom of expression and personal liberty had been violated in the case. Ilıcak told the court she believed she was innocent and requested acquittal before the judges announced their decision.
The charges against the journalists stem from investigations following Turkey’s July 2016 coup attempt. Prosecutors alleged that Altan and Ilıcak had supported the Gülen movement, which the Turkish government designates as a terrorist organization and blames for orchestrating the coup. Authorities argued that the journalists’ writings and television appearances suggested prior knowledge of the attempted overthrow of the government.
The case has gone through multiple trials and appeals. In 2018, Altan and Ilıcak were initially sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment for allegedly attempting to overthrow the constitutional order. However, Turkey’s top appeals court later overturned those verdicts, ruling that the evidence did not support the more serious charge and that the journalists should instead face accusations of aiding a terrorist organization.
Subsequent retrials resulted in different sentences, with earlier convictions reduced or annulled before the latest ruling. Observers note that the repeated legal proceedings highlight the complexity and controversy surrounding prosecutions related to the coup attempt.
Press freedom organizations and international rights groups have long criticized the prosecution of journalists in connection with the coup investigations. They argue that the case illustrates broader concerns about judicial pressure and the use of terrorism laws against media professionals in Turkey.
The verdict adds another chapter to a decade-long legal saga that has drawn international attention and sparked ongoing debate over press freedom and the independence of the judiciary in the country.
Reference –
Turkish court hands down reduced sentences to veteran journalists Ilıcak, Altan in third retrial
