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Turkey journalists freed from prison after court ruling | |
(about 7 hours later) | |
Two Turkish journalists charged with revealing state secrets have been freed from prison. | |
Can Dundar and Erdem Gul, from the newspaper Cumhuriyet, were detained in November over a report alleging that the Turkish government tried to ship arms to Islamists in Syria. | Can Dundar and Erdem Gul, from the newspaper Cumhuriyet, were detained in November over a report alleging that the Turkish government tried to ship arms to Islamists in Syria. |
But Turkey's constitutional court has challenged the charges, saying they violated freedom of the press. | But Turkey's constitutional court has challenged the charges, saying they violated freedom of the press. |
They were released early on Friday after three months in jail. | |
Large crowds chanting support met them outside prison on their release. | |
Mr Dundar, the paper's editor-in-chief, and Mr Gul, its Ankara bureau chief, spent 92 days in prison and had been due to go on trial on 25 March. | |
"This is a trial of press freedom," Mr Dundar said. "We got out but more than 30 colleagues are still in prison. I hope that this ruling will pave way for their freedom as well." | |
Pointing to the prison, he said he would continue to fight for press freedom "until this concentration camp that you see behind me becomes a museum". | |
Turkish reporters defiant over espionage claim | |
The court, which convened to discuss the journalists' individual petitions, ruled on Thursday that their "rights to personal liberty and security had been violated". | |
"Their freedom of expression and freedom of press" was also violated, the court said in a statement. | "Their freedom of expression and freedom of press" was also violated, the court said in a statement. |
The decision was overwhelmingly approved with 12 votes for and three against, Turkish media reports said. | The decision was overwhelmingly approved with 12 votes for and three against, Turkish media reports said. |
The report that landed the two journalists in jail claimed to show proof that a consignment of weapons seized at the border in January 2014 was bound for Syria. | The report that landed the two journalists in jail claimed to show proof that a consignment of weapons seized at the border in January 2014 was bound for Syria. |
They were formally charged with obtaining and revealing state secrets "for espionage purposes" and seeking to "violently" overthrow the Turkish government as well as aiding an "armed terrorist organisation". | |
They were held in the Silivri jail on the outskirts of Istanbul. | |
Freedom of the press in Turkey | Freedom of the press in Turkey |
Press freedom 'a major concern' | Press freedom 'a major concern' |