The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has severely condemned, Tuesday April 13, Turkey for the detention of Turkish journalist and writer Ahmet Altan, prosecuted for his alleged involvement in the failed coup of July 15, 2016.
“There is no evidence that the applicant’s actions were part of a plan to overthrow the government” Turkish, underline the European magistrates, who sit in Strasbourg. They find the violation of the provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights on freedom of expression, the “Right to liberty and security” and the “Right to have a court rule promptly on the legality of detention”. The judgment notably condemns Turkey to pay compensation of 16,000 euros to the famous journalist and writer.
In a separate judgment, the ECHR also condemned Ankara for the detention of Murat Aksoy, an opposition journalist who was detained a few weeks after the attempted coup. “There were no plausible reasons to suspect Mr. Aksoy of having committed a criminal offense”, considers the ECHR.
“Subliminal messages” and “grotesque accusations”
First arrested in September 2016, Mr. Altan, 71, was sentenced to life imprisonment in February 2018 for “Attempt to overthrow the constitutional order”, judgment annulled by the Court of Cassation, recalls the ECHR.
Rejected, he was sentenced in November 2019 to ten and a half years in prison for “Complicity with a terrorist group”, Turkish justice accusing him of being in touch with the movement of the Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen, whom Ankara accuses of having hatched the coup attempt of July 2016.
Mr. Altan, who founded the opposition newspaper Taraf, notably became known outside Turkey by the story of his life in prison. A respected intellectual in his country, he has always denied any involvement in the coup attempt, dismissing charges “Grotesque”.
He was notably accused of having sent “Subliminal messages” during a broadcast broadcast live on a channel favorable to Mr. Gülen on the eve of the failed coup, an element which then disappeared from the indictment.