JournalismPakistan.com | Published September 13, 2019
Join our WhatsApp channel
ISTANBUL — The Committee to Protect Journalists has welcomed a decision by the Turkish Supreme Court of Appeals to overturn a verdict by a lower court and release five former staffers of the Cumhuriyet newspaper who have been imprisoned since April.
Cartoonist Musa Kart, columnists Güray Öz and Hakan Kara, board member Önder Çelik, and lawyer Mustafa Kemal Güngör, none of whom are now employed by the paper, were released this evening from Kandıra prison, where they had been held since turning themselves in to authorities in April after their appeal was denied, according to news reports and CPJ reporting from the time.
The court did not overturn the sentence of former Cumhuriyet accountant Emre İper, who remains in jail, according to those reports. The staffers released today are barred from leaving the country, those reports said.
“We welcome the ruling today by a Turkish court releasing former journalists and staff members of the embattled Cumhuriyet newspaper,” said CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator Gulnoza Said in New York. “However, none of them should have been in prison in the first place. If Turkey wants to shed its reputation as the world's worst jailer of journalists, it needs to release all imprisoned journalists and end its persecution of the press.”
On April 25, 2018, an Istanbul court convicted 14 journalists and staffers affiliated with Cumhuriyet of aiding terrorist organizations, and sentenced them to jail terms ranging from three to seven years for their alleged affiliation with exiled preacher Fethullah Gülen, as CPJ reported at the time.
All the journalists and staffers except İper have been released following today’s verdict, and those thirteen defendants will be retried for the original terrorism charges at a lower court at an undetermined date, according to reports. — A CPJ statement/Photo: Reuters
April 11, 2025: Sindhi journalist AD Shar was brutally murdered in Khairpur, Sindh. His body was found dumped on Handiyari Link Road. PFUJ has declared a three-day mourning period and demanded justice.
April 10, 2025: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir government has filed a case against The Daily Jammu & Kashmir and its staff for alleged fake news, drawing condemnation from PFUJ and IFJ, who demand immediate withdrawal of the FIR and an end to media repression in Pakistan.
April 08, 2025: Journalist Arzoo Kazmi alleges that Pakistan's state agencies, including the FIA, have blocked her CNIC, passport, and bank account while threatening her. She calls it a direct attack on journalism.
April 07, 2025: The Islamabad High Court has directed IG Islamabad to produce journalist Ahmad Noorani’s missing brothers, as the Ministry of Defence denies custody. SIM activity was traced in Bahawalpur, and investigations into their suspected abduction continue.
April 07, 2025: Journalist and Raftar founder Farhan Mallick has been granted bail by a Karachi court in a case concerning anti-state content aired on his YouTube channel. He still faces separate charges related to an alleged illegal call center and data theft.
April 03, 2025: Veteran journalist Ghulam Abbas Shah has joined Discover Pakistan Television as the Head of Programming. With 25 years of experience in leading news organizations, he looks forward to contributing to quality storytelling and content.
April 02, 2025: The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has strongly condemned the visit of a group of Pakistani journalists to Israel, calling it a violation of journalistic ethics and a betrayal of press freedom and human rights. PFUJ demands a transparent investigation into the matter.
March 30, 2025: Dawn criticizes Pakistan’s plan to use TV dramas against extremism, highlighting financial and digital challenges. Can media alone solve deep-rooted issues?
April 03, 2025 The International Press Institute (IPI) and International Media Support (IMS) invite nominations for the 2025 World Press Freedom Hero and Free Media Pioneer Awards. Recognizing courageous journalists and innovative media, the awards will be presented at IPI’s 75th-anniversary World Congress in Vienna. Submit your nominations by April 30, 2025.
April 01, 2025 Photojournalist Suresh Rajak was burned alive while covering a violent protest in Kathmandu. The IFJ and its affiliates condemn the attack and call for an urgent investigation to hold the perpetrators accountable.
April 01, 2025 Assam Police arrested digital journalist Dilwar Hussain Mozumder for covering a protest against alleged corruption at Assam Co-Operative Bank. Media organizations have condemned the arrest, calling it an attack on press freedom.
March 29, 2025 A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to dismantle Voice of America (VOA), ruling that the move likely violated legal procedures. The decision protects over 1,200 journalists and media staff.
March 28, 2025 Turkey deports BBC journalist Mark Lowen over 'public order' threat and fines opposition TV channels covering Istanbul Mayor's arrest. Critics condemn crackdown on press freedom amid rising political tensions.