Turkish Prosecutor Seeks Life Sentence for 2 Jailed Journalists

Turkish prosecutors are seeking life imprisonment for two of its journalists who have been held behind bars two months ago on terror and espionage charges for their reports on alleged government arms smuggling to Syria, a Turkish newspaper says.

According to Cumhuriyet newspaper, an Istanbul prosecutor has completed an indictment against editor-in-chief, Can Dundar, and the paper’s Ankara representative, Erdem Gul. A trial can’t commence before the court accepts the indictment.

Cumhuriyet previously published in May, alleged images of Turkish trucks carrying ammunition to Syrian militants. With these images, the paper said it proved that Turkey was smuggling arms to rebels, that being a claim the government strongly rejects.

Investigations with the journalists began after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that he would not let Dundar get away with what he had done and filed a criminal complaint.

In response to this case, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemned the “culpable cruelty” of the public prosecutors who have requested “aggravated life sentences” for the journalists.

“By giving credence to the extremely grave accusations against Can Dündar and Erdem Gül, accusations that are completely absurd, the public prosecutor’s office has demonstrated its lack of independence,” RSF secretary-general Christophe Deloire said. “We call on the Istanbul court to save the Turkish judicial system’s reputation by rejecting this ridiculous indictment.”