Ten former employees of the Turkish state broadcaster TRT were given jail terms between 6 years and 3 months and 8 years and 9 months for “membership in an armed terrorist organization” in the final hearing of the case.
A total of 21 former TRT employees who had been dismissed from their posts in the aftermath of the failed coup attempt of 15 July 2016 on allegations of “FETÖ membership” were standing trial in the case, overseen by the Ankara 23rd High Criminal Court.
Jailed defendants Hasan Hüseyin Örs, İbrahim Halil Öztürkeri and Hasan Taşar were each sentenced to 8 years and 9 months in prison while another jailed defendant, Özden Kınık, was given 8 years 1 month and 15 days in prison. The court also ruled for the continuation of all four’s detention.
The court gave Kemal Erdem, Hasan Basri Erden, Mehmet Ali̇ Öget and Mustafa Ünal 7.5 year-prison terms each, while İdris Selçuk was given 6 years and 3 months. Another defendant referred to in court documents by the initials A.F. and who had requested to benefit from effective remorse was given a suspended jail term of 1.5 years and 22 days.
One of the defendants, Hanife Sayılır, was acquitted of all charges, while the rest of the defendants’ files were separated. Cavit Atasever, Mustafa Altıntaş, Servet Dağ, Mustafa Yazkan, Cihangir Çetin, Hüsamettin Kıroğlu, Osman Zeybek, Murat Kirti and Mustafa Beyhan will continue standing trial.
Öget and Kirti were released pending the conclusion of the trial at the end of a previous hearing of the case in October 2017.
