Blog: Turkey Crackdown Chronicle: Week of February 17, 2019

Appeals court upholds Cumhuriyet verdict

An Istanbul appeals court on February 19 upheld the terrorism-related convictions of staff from the daily Cumhuriyet who were earlier sentenced to five years or less in prison, according to reports. CPJ condemned the decision. The decision means that at least six defendants, including a cartoonist, journalists, a lawyer, an accountant, and a board member, will be taken to prison to serve their sentences. As of February 21, none of the journalists from the appeal hearing had been taken into custody. Fourteen people associated with Cumhuriyet, including journalists and staff members, were convicted on terrorism-related charges in April, CPJ reported at the time. Those sentenced to more than five years in prison are waiting for the Supreme Court of Appeals to hear their case.