Turkish court imprisoned 13 workers in Cumhuriyet newspaper

NEWS DESK

Cumhuriyet newspaper, which dates back to 1942, has adopted an independent approach within a media environment dominated most the state; its criticism of the government has angered Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The newspaper's journalists and executives were arrested in a crackdown by the Turkish government following the attempted coup in July 2016.

Turkish authorities have accused the newspaper of supporting groups described as terrorist, more than 50,000 people have been arrested and 150,000 person have been expelled or suspended following the attempted coup, including judges, journalists, police, military personnel, teachers and civil employees.

Journalists and 13 officials, including some of the most prominent commentators on events in Turkey, were sentenced, such as Murad Sabungo, editor-in-chief of the newspaper, cartoonist Moses Kart and columnist Kadri Gursel.

The head of the newspaper, Akin Atalay, was sentenced to seven years in prison, after spending 500 days in detention so far.

(H/S)

ANHA