Prominent Turkish journalist Gursel sent back to prison over terrorism convictions

Prominent Turkish journalist Kadri Gursel has been sent back to prison in connection with convictions on terror charges handed down last year to an opposition newspaper.

Gursel, who previously wrote for the Cumhuriyet newspaper, was sentenced to 30 months in prison for “knowingly and willingly aiding a terror group without being a member.” He tweeted Wednesday that he was convicted “without evidence and unjustly for journalistic activities.”

The journalist had already spent 11 months in pre-trial detention and said he was facing further injustice by being put behind bars again.

Thirteen other former Cumhuriyet journalists and senior staff members were convicted in April 2018 and six returned to prison last month after an appeals court confirmed their conviction, AP reported. According to the Journalists’ Union of Turkey, 140 journalists and media workers are in prison there.