Seven Employees of Opposition Newspaper Sentenced to Imprisonment in Turkey

In a criminal court in Istanbul, the final session of the trial against Burak Albıyra, the owner of the opposition newspaper "Sözcü", and several employees has taken place, who were accused of knowingly and willingly supporting the "Fethullah Terrorist Organization" (FETÖ), according to Ermenihaber.

The court has sentenced reporter Emin Çölaşan and Nejati Doğru to 3 years 6 months and 15 days of imprisonment. The editor of the newspaper's website, Mustafa Çetın, and chief editor Metin Yılmaz were sentenced to 3 years and 4 months of imprisonment. News coordinator Yücel Arın, reporter Gökmen Ulu, and accountant Yonca Yücekalel received sentences of 2 years and 1 month of imprisonment.

The process concerning the newspaper's owner has been separated from the general case, and one of the newspaper's responsible figures, Mediha Olgun, has been released.

The "Sözcü" newspaper reported the sentencing of its employees under the headline: "A Black Spot in History: Sözcü Punished for Journalism."