Veteran journalist Nazlı Ilıcak sentenced to 5 years and 10 months over ‘state security’

Veteran journalist Nazlı Ilıcak(75), who has been jailed since August 29, 2016 for trumped-up coup charges, is sentenced to 5 years and 10 months in prison today by the 26th High Criminal Court of Istanbul, in another case, on disclosing confidential information crucial to state security.

In January 2018, the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office issued a new indictment against Ilıcak, accusing the journalist of “disclosing confidential information crucial to state security for espionage purposes” as per Article 330/1 of the Turkish Penal Code for a newspaper column published on January 2, 2015, in the seized Bugün daily. The column was titled The Military Intelligence and Tahşiyeciler. The documents reportedly show that Turkey’s state institutions associate a radical jihadist group Tahsiyeciler with the al-Qaeda terrorist organization. Intelligence documents prepared by the National Intelligence Organization (MİT), the General Staff Intelligence Department and the police intelligence department had revealed close links between Tahşiyeciler and al-Qaeda.

Nazlı Ilıcak who attended the final and 5th hearing via IT Voice and Image System (SEGBİS) told panel of judges that “according to Turkish Press Law, an investigation must be opened within 4 months after news article is published whereas in my case prosecutor filed suit after 3 years”.

Claiming she did not even see the new documents and evidences provided by prosecutor, Ilıcak said “I cannot defend myself without having them. This is a violation of fair trial principle”.

26th High Criminal Court of Istanbul later convicted Ilıcak to 5 years and 10 months in prison on disclosing confidential information crucial to state security and ruled out espionage charges.

Ilıcak had been immediately arrested following controversial coup attempt on July 15, 2016. She was convicted to life in prison without parole on February 16, 2018 on charges of ‘overthrowing the government’.

The chief public prosecutor of Turkey’s Supreme Court of Appeals has asked for revocation of the aggravated life sentence handed down to Ilıcak on coup charges, saying that the journalist should be given sentences on terrorism charges, in January 2019.

Turkey became acquainted with Tahşiyeciler in 2009 when police raided cells operated by the radical Islamist group and found caches of weapons and arms in safe houses. Many of its members were arrested, charged and tried.

The government led by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan helped extricate the group from legal troubles in 2014 when Mehmet Doğan, the leader of the group, was vouched for by President Erdoğan. At the invitation of the government several members of this radical group filed a complaint against the police chiefs and prosecutors who investigated the al-Qaeda-linked group and journalists who wrote critically about it.

In July 2014, based on these complaints, the Erdoğan government arrested 76 top police inspectors who were involved in investigating this radical group and were uncovering the corruption network in which Erdoğan and his associates were incriminated.

The former chairman of now-closed Samanyolu Broadcasting Group  Karaca was sentenced to life in prison along with top police chiefs on charges of membership in a “terrorist organisation” and for allegedly slandering the al-Qaeda-affiliated radical Islamist group Tahşiyeciler on february 7, 2018.

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from SCF