Journalist Canan Coşkun Sentenced to 10 Months in Prison

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Cumhuriyet daily correspondent Canan Coşkun has been sentenced to 10 months on charge of "publicly insulting the military or the security organization of the state" in a news article she had written.

Coşkun and her attorney appearing in the hearing held before İstanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance were supported by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Turkey correspondent Erol Önderoğlu and other journalists observing the hearing.

Coşkun in her defence said that there was no intention of insult or defamation in the report and demanded her acquittal.

Recalling that Prosecutor Murat İnam who prepared the bill of indictment was still on duty although he had stood trial in the Fethulahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ) investigation on charge of "being a member of an illegal organization" and faced life imprisonment twice and that he had been reported to the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK), Coşkun's attorney Yalçın said: "Without looking through the content of the article, they just looked at its title and considered the words 'onion"' and 'MİT' (National Intelligence Agency) standing beside each other an element of insult". (EA/DG)