IFJ
16 April 2021
Turkey: Journalist Ahmet Altan freed after more than four years in prison
A Turkish court has released journalist Ahmet Altan after serving more than four years in prison on charges of involvement in the failed 2016 coup attempt. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ and EFJ) welcomed this long-waited decision but condemned his illegal detention and urged the Turkish government to stop the systematic imprisonment of journalists.
BULENT KILIC / AFP
Journalist and author Ahmet Altan was jailed after writing pieces critical of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in the context of the wider purge of political opponents after the failed 2016 coup attempt. In particular, Ahmet Altan's arrest followed the publication of political articles in support of Kurdish rights.