Prominent Turkish lawyer defiant after jail sentence over media trial
Eren Keskin, a prominent human rights lawyer, was among four defendants sentenced to prison on terror-linked charges Monday in a newspaper trial that raised concerns over media freedom in Turkey.
ISTANBUL — More than four years after the state-ordered shuttering of the pro-Kurdish newspaper Ozgur Gundem, a Turkish court issued jail sentences Monday to four of its administrators on terror-related charges.
Among the convicted was Eren Keskin, a prominent human rights lawyer and co-chair of Turkey’s Human Rights Association, who served as a temporary guest editor when the newspaper was facing increasing legal pressure in 2016.
Speaking in a phone interview Wednesday, Keskin said ongoing court cases of former Ozgur Gundem employees and supporters highlight continued infringements on freedom of speech in Turkey and present challenges to the nation’s independent media outlets. She also said she would appeal her verdict “through all legal means.”
“I find this decision unlawful and illogical because it violates Turkey's domestic legislation, rulings by the Court of Cassation and international conventions to which Turkey is a signatory,” Keskin told Al-Monitor.
