Turkey Frees Journalist Altan After European Rights Court Ruling

A Turkish court on Wednesday released journalist and novelist Ahmet Altan after more than four years in prison on charges of involvement in a failed 2016 coup attempt that he had always denied.

The Court of Cassation ruling came a day after the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) demanded the 71-year-old’s freedom in a verdict that accused Turkey of violating his civil rights.

“I don’t know how I got out. I was sitting (in prison) and all of a sudden I was told this evening that I would be released,” Altan told AFP in front of his home in Istanbul.

“I just saw my children. I will now spend some time with them,” he said.

The award-winning novelist and newspaper editor was jailed after writing politically-sensitive pieces critical of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and in support of Kurdish rights.

Altan was arrested during sweeping purges that followed the coup attempt and accused of backing the uprising by “disseminating subliminal messages to the public”.

He was subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment for trying to overthrow the government — a ruling later quashed by Turkey’s top court.

But the case was re-examined and he was sentenced to 10 years and six months for “knowingly supporting a terrorist organisation” that was involved in the coup bid.

“Very happy to hear Turkey’s Court of Cassation has just ordered the release of novelist Ahmet Altan after more than 4.5 years in jail,” the European Parliament’s Turkey rapporteur Nacho Sanchez Amor tweeted.

“Will be even happier after seeing him enjoying fully his freedom and all charges dropped. Hope all other (ECHR) rulings will be applied too.”