A year and eight months after a failed coup, Ankara has shown no sign of de-escalating its crackdown on critical journalists. Turkey sentenced 25 journalists to prison terms ranging from three years to seven and half years on Thursday. ‘I don’t deserve to be punished’Aksoy took to Twitter to protest his innocence: “My writings may have been critical but don’t deserve to be punished. I also don’t deserve to be punished, just for being a journalist.”Both were freed for time already served while awaiting their verdicts on the condition that they do not leave Turkey. Gulen, a one-time Erdogan ally who fled Turkey in 1999, claims he is the victim of a witch hunt.

Source: Egypt Independent March 08, 2018 19:41 UTC