Nazli Ilicak was in jail for 1,197 days and Ahmet Altan for 1,138 days before both were released the night of Nov. 4. Their release caused some relief among watchers of Turkey’s autocratic practices and nourished hopes that a normalcy of sorts could return to the country.
However, many have their doubts about any real reconciliation in Turkey and were trying to figure out whether the release of the two journalists might conceal some other sinister aims of Turkey’s increasingly autocratic regime.