NEWS

Turkey: Six journalists remain in prison while lawyers expelled from court
Turkish journalists Ahmet Altan and Mehmet Altan’s defence attorneys were forced to leave the courtroom as their clients stood trial accused of taking part in Turkey’s failed 2016 coup
13 Nov 17
Journalist Ahmet Altan is charged with inserting subliminal messages in support of the failed 15 July coup in Turkey.

Journalist Ahmet Altan is charged with inserting subliminal messages in support of the failed 15 July coup in Turkey.

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Brothers Ahmet Altan and Mehmet Altan

Brothers Ahmet Altan and Mehmet Altan

Turkish journalists Ahmet Altan and Mehmet Altan’s defence attorneys were forced to leave the courtroom as their clients stood trial Monday 13 November, accused of taking part in Turkey’s failed 2016 coup. Both brothers are prominent Turkish journalists, known for their critical reporting on president Erdogan’s regime. 

Ahmet and Mehmet Altan, along with Nazlı Ilıcak, also face three aggravated life sentences for supposedly committing crimes on behalf of the Gulen movement, considered a terrorist organisation after the failed coup.

The lawyers were ordered to leave on the grounds that they were speaking without permission, according to Bianet. They were prevented from making a statement of defence, at which point they were removed from the courtroom. “This incident displays the intolerance towards the defence. We’ve been taken out of the courtroom for attempting to exercise the right of defence,” lawyer Ergin Cinmen told Bianet.

“The persecution of journalists and disregard for the rule of law continues on a shocking scale in Turkey,” said Joy Hyvarinen, acting head of advocacy at Index on Censorship. “We urge the Turkish authorities to reconsider.”

Without lawyers present, the court then ruled that the Altan brothers — along with four other journalists — will remain in pretrial detention. The hearings will resume on 11 December.

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By Kyra McNaughton

Kyra McNaughton is an intern at Index on Censorship and a third-year student at American University in Washington, DC, where she studies journalism and political science.

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