İSTANBUL - Behind bars since March 1, Yakın Doğu Haber news website Editor-in-Chief Dursunoğlu has been sentenced to 50 days in prison for “praising an offense and offender.” The court has turned his prison term into a judicial fine and ruled for his release.
Arrested on charge of "inciting the public to enmity and hatred" over his social media messages on March 1, 2020, Yakın Doğu Haber news website Editor-in-Chief Alptekin Dursunoğlu stood trial at the İstanbul 49th Penal Court of First Instance today (March 16).
Announcing its verdict on Dursunoğlu, the court board first sentenced the journalist to 50 days in prison on charge of "praising an offense and offender" under the Article 215 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK).
The board has then turned this prison term into a judicial fine of 1,000 Turkish Lira (TRY) and ruled for the release of the journalist.
The Article 215 of the TCK says: "Any person who publicly praises an offence or a person on account of an offence he has committed shall be sentenced to a penalty of imprisonment for a term of up to two years if any explicit and imminent danger to the public order occurs therefore."