ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey’s top appeals court on Wednesday ordered writer and journalist Ahmet Altan be freed, one of his lawyers said, a day after Europe’s human rights court said his detention for more than four years had violated his rights.
The 71-year-old Altan has been in prison since September 2016, on charges related to an attempted coup in July 2016.
He was detained over allegations that he disseminated subliminal messages related to the coup attempt during a TV programme, as well as articles he had written criticising the government.
He denied the charges, which he and his lawyer said were politically motivated.
He was sentenced to life in jail in 2018 without parole for attempting to overthrow the constitutional order but the ruling was overturned by the Court of Cassation, the top appeals court.
Altan was then re-tried and sentenced to more than 10 years for aiding a terrorist organisation. He was briefly released due to time served but re-arrested later after the prosecutor objected.
The Court of Cassation overturned that second ruling against him on Wednesday, his lawyer Veysel Ok said, adding that it ruled he should be released due to time served.
Ok, who applied to the European Court of Human Rights for Altan, said he was expected to be released later on Wednesday.
The ECHR ruled Altan’s right to liberty and security had been violated since he was accused without reasonable suspicion.
Altan’s case was one of those considered to be symbolic of crackdown on dissent under President Tayyip Erdogan following the attempted coup. Ankara says the measures were necessary given the security threats facing Turkey.
Turkey accused Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen of orchestrating the coup. Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in the United States since 1999, denies involvement.
(Reporting by Ece Toksabay; Writing by Ali Kucukgocmen; Editing by Alison Williams)
