The December report of the Journalists Association, The Cost of the News (Haberin Bedeli) has been published in Turkey. According to the report 67 journalists and media employees came before judges in December, and the prosecutors demanded a total of between 412 and 1,334 years in prison for them, reports Mesopotamia News Agency.
Three life sentences against journalists
The report noted that 67 journalists were tried in the one-month period. The prosecutors demanded a total of between 412 and 1,334 years in prison, and three life sentences, two of which were aggravated life sentences, against the journalists. Verdicts were reached in six of the hearings, and eight journalists were sentenced to a total of 14 years, 8 months and 15 days in prison.
One 9-month prison sentence for a journalist was commuted to a fine of 4,500 TL, and twenty-five of the journalists on trial were acquitted, the report stated.
Eleven journalists detained
According to the report; the pressures on journalists were not limited to the trials that are currently underway. At least 11 journalists and media employees were detained during the same one-month period. In December, new cases were also initiated against seven journalists, and three journalists were investigated for doing their job, the reports says.
