İSTANBUL - Journalists Sadık Topaloğlu and Sadiye Eser were sentenced to 6 years and 3 months in prison for "membership of a terrorist organisation" based on the statements of the witness who never testified at the hearings.

 

The final hearing of the trial against journalist Sadık Topaloğlu and Sadiye Eser on charges of "membership of a terrorist organisation" was held at the Istanbul 22nd High Criminal Court in Çağlayan. While Eser and Topaloğlu did not attend the hearing, Lawyer Ayşe Acinikli and Özcan Kılıç did. Banu Tuna, Head of the Istanbul Branch of the Journalists' Union of Turkey (TGS), also followed the hearing.

 

KURDISH SONG AS EVIDENCE OF CRIME

 

At the hearing, Atty. Özcan Kılıç stated that the prosecution built its claim on Özgür Baran's allegations, but Baran did not attend even a single hearing or testified before the court, pointing to the Supreme Court decisions that the claims of the witness who were not heard face to face would not be taken into account. Kılıç stated that Eser has been a journalist for 10 years. Stating that there is currently a trial against the journalist, Kılıç pointed out that a Kurdish song on Eser's phone was included in the file as evidence. Underlining that the opinion was baseless, Kılıç demanded Eser's acquittal.

 

WITNESS NEVER TESTIFIED BEFORE COURT

 

Topaloğlu's lawyer, Acinikli, noted that the file was not examined by the prosecution and shared that a witness who had given a statement within the scope of the file said that he did not know his client. Noting that they sought Özgür Baran, whose statements are in the file, for two years, but he did not come to a single hearing, Acinikli said, “The witness must be heard at court or it can not be taken as a basis. There is a decision of the Supreme Court that the statements of the 'confessor' will not be taken as a basis for verdict."

 

PRISON SENTENCE FOR JOURNALISTS

 

Announcing its decision after the defenses, the court sentenced Eser and Topaloğlu to 6 years and 3 months in prison each on charges of "being a member of a terrorist organisation".