The new Turkey |
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19-Jan-2020 |
28 November 2029: Journalist Deniz Kılıç, the former Batman bureau chief of the shuttered Kurdish-language newspaper Azadiya Welat, appeared before the 2nd High Criminal Court of Batman on 28 November 2019 for the first hearing of his trial on the charge of “terrorism propaganda” over his social media posts between 2014 and 2015. The indictment against Kılıç was read out at the beginning of the hearing, where Kılıç was in attendance. The journalist was not represented by a lawyer. Addressing the court for his defense statement, Kılıç said the social media posts he is accused for were news stories and that he had exercised his right to freedom of expression. Presenting his final opinion of the case during the hearing, the prosecutor asked the court to convict Kılıç of “systematically conducting terororism propaganda.” Kılıç asked to be acquitted. Before announcing the panel’s verdict, the presiding judge told Kılıç: “The trial has concluded. We have conscientiously reached the verdict that you are guilty.” The panel sentenced Kılıç to 3 years, 1 month and 15 days in prison on the charge of “terrorism propaganda.” Kılıç will appeal the verdict. |
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