The 166.5 years' prison sentence handed down last week to Vedat Kurşun, former editorial manager of the Kurdish Azadiya Welat newspaper, was criticized by the international organization Reporters without Boarders (RSF), the Turkish Contemporary Journalists' Association (ÇGD), the Press Institute Association and the Journalists Union of Turkey (TGS).

On 13 May, the 5^th High Criminal Court of Diyarbakır (south-eastern Anatolia) found journalist Vedat Kurşun guilty of charges of "membership of the PKK", the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party, and of "spreading propaganda for an illegal organization" and sentenced Kurşun to imprisonment of 166 years and six months.

The court decreed for a sentence of 12 years and eight months for charges of "membership of an organization", the upper limit stipulated for this kind of offence. Furthermore, the court decided for a 103 counts punishment based on article 7/2 of the Anti-Terror Act (TMY) in regard to "spreading propaganda for an illegal organization".

The Azadiya Welat newspaper described the punishment as "illegal" and "politically" motivated and called rights organizations to take action against the decision.

RSF: Absurd decision

Reporters without Boarders found the punishment "vertiginous". "This decision is as political as it is absurd. Our organization offers support to all colleagues who support journalist Kurşun. This decision made by the Turkish judiciary is an obvious breach of the European Convention on Human Rights, which Turkey is a member of", RSF said in a statement.

IPI: The most obvious example for a punishment beyond all measure

The Press Institute Association - IPI National Committee called the decision concerned with an editorial manager "the most obvious example for a punishment beyond all measure".

The committee demanded to sort out all legal regulations that restrict freedom of expression very urgently.

ÇGD: Did we fall back to martial law?

The President of the Turkish Contemporary Journalists Association, Ahmet Abakay, said that no person and no institution advocating for press freedom and freedom of thought and expression, in short nobody who calls himself contemporary and democratic, could defend this sort of punishment.

"The pressure imposed on journalists and publishing organs, publication bans and detentions have reached critical dimensions. The punishment handed down to Vedat Kurşun is the peak of all this", Abakay indicated.

"This and similar punishment bring to mind the thought that we went back to the times of OHAL [Martial Law and State of Emergency in Turkey]. These decisions do not take into account the case law of the European Court of Human Rights at all", Abakay criticized. He demanded to review articles 301 and 288 of the Turkish Criminal Code (TCK) and the Anti-Terror Law as soon as possible.

TGS: Turkey will not proceed any further with this shame

The President of the Journalists Union of Turkey, Ercan İpekçi, emphasized that the laws in question obstruct journalists from fulfilling their duty. "The laws have to be amended urgently. The number of journalists in prison will increase as long as these laws are in force. Turkey will not be able to proceed any further with this shame", İpekçi stated. (EÖ/VK)