The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on Turkish authorities to stop opposing the appeals of veteran journalists Ahmet Altan and Nazlı Ilıcak following their latest convictions, Turkish Minute reported.
An İstanbul court on March 12 found Altan and Ilıcak guilty of “aiding a terrorist organization without being a member of the organization” and handed down prison sentences of four years, six months and three years, nine months, respectively. Both journalists remain free pending appeal.
“Turkish journalists Ahmet Altan and Nazlı Ilıcak have already spent years of their lives in prison for nothing but doing their job,” said Özgür Öğret, CPJ’s Turkey representative.
“This fact is not going to change no matter how many times they face retrials. Turkish authorities should stop fighting Altan and Ilıcak’s appeals and cease retaliating against independent reporting.”
The case marks the third retrial for the two journalists, who were first sentenced to life in prison without parole in 2018 on charges of attempting to overthrow the constitutional order. That ruling was overturned by Turkey’s Supreme Court of Appeals in 2019, which ruled they should instead be tried on lesser charges.
Subsequent retrials resulted in reduced sentences, but those rulings were also overturned on appeal, leading to repeated proceedings over the years. The latest verdict follows a series of reversals, including decisions in 2021 and 2025 that sent the case back to the lower courts.
Altan and Ilıcak were arrested in the aftermath of a failed coup in July 2016, accused of supporting the plot through their media work, including allegedly sending “subliminal messages” on television. Both have denied the accusations.
They spent several years in prison before being released. Ilıcak served more than three years, while Altan was jailed for over four-and-a-half years after being rearrested shortly following his initial release in 2019.
CPJ said it had contacted the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office for comment but had not received an immediate response.
The case is part of a broader crackdown on journalists and media figures following the 2016 coup attempt, which Turkish authorities blame on the Gülen movement, a faith-based group inspired by the late cleric Fethullah Gülen. The movement denies any involvement in the coup.
Press freedom groups say dozens of journalists have faced similar charges in recent years.
According to Expression Interrupted, at least 27 journalists are currently in prison in Turkey. In its 2025 World Press Freedom Index, Reporters Without Borders ranked Turkey 159th out of 180 countries.
