Controversial judicial decisions cause Turkey’s biggest problem to resurface

Source:Hurriyet Daily News Date:23Feb2019

No justice, no development!

Last week Turkey witnessed two important judicial decisions. The first one was about an appeals court’s rule that upheld the convictions of journalists and executives from Cumhuriyet newspaper.

As can be recalled, a court had sentenced 14 staff of the opposition newspaper to jail on charges of terrorism and supporting FETÖ in a move that caused a massive uproar in regards to the freedom of the press in Turkey.

The second judicial move that fueled concerns over the state of democracy in Turkey was the indictment penned by a prosecutor that sought life in prison for all 16 suspects, including civil society activist and businessman Osman Kavala, actor Mehmet Ali Alabora and some other prominent figures, on charges of “attempting to overthrow the government” through the 2013 Gezi Park Protests and the 2016 failed coup attempt.