The 13th Heavy Penal Court announced its verdict in the case where the 31 former columnists and workers of the Zaman daily newspaper, which was closed as per the Statutory Decree no. 686, including Şahin Alpay, Ali Bulaç, Mümtazer Türköne, Ahmet T. Alkan, Nuriye Akman and Mustafa Ünal were tried on charges of “coup attempt” and “membership in a terrorist organisation [FETÖ/PYD]” on July 6, 2018. At the hearing held at 13th Heavy Penal Court, the court board sentenced Şahin Alpay, Ali Bulaç and Ahmet Turan Alkan to 8 years and 9 months; İbrahim Karayeğen to 9 years; and Mümtazer Türköne and Mustafa Ünal to 10 years and 6 months in prison.
The court board ruled that Ahmet Turan Alkan and İbrahim Karayeğen shall be released from prison. As for Mustafa Ünal and Mümtazer Türköne, the court board ruled for the continuation of their detentions.While the court board ruled that all of the 11 defendants shall be acquitted of the charge of “violating the Constitution”, Orhan Kemal Cengiz, Lale Sarıibrahimoğlu, İhsan Dağı, Nuriye Ural and Mehmet Özdemir have been acquitted of all charges pressed against them (6 July).
On March 18, 2021, the 18th Penal Chamber of the Court of Cassation overturned the upheld sentence of Ahmet Turan Alkan, a former columnist for the shuttered Zaman newspaper, on charge of “being a member of a terrorist organization”. Concluding that Alkan’s acts constituted the offense of “aiding the organization without being a part of its hierarchical structure”, the Penal Chamber has sent the file back to the İstanbul 13th High Criminal Court for a retrial (March 18).
