Turkey Sends Journalist Back to Jail Again
ISTANBUL (Dispatches) – A Turkish court has ordered prominent journalist and author Ahmet Altan back to jail, a week after he was released from prison following a retrial on coup-related charges.
Before his release last Monday, Altan had been in jail since his arrest in 2016 following an attempted coup which Ankara says was orchestrated by the network of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen.
The court order to re-arrest Altan cited a risk of flight, the gravity of his crimes and his lack of remorse among the reasons for the detention order.
Altan, 69, smiled and waved late on Tuesday as he was driven away by counter-terrorism police officers after being taken from his Istanbul home, videos and photos on Turkish media showed.
Before his release last Monday, Altan had been in jail since his arrest in 2016 following an attempted coup which Ankara says was orchestrated by the network of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen.
The court order to re-arrest Altan cited a risk of flight, the gravity of his crimes and his lack of remorse among the reasons for the detention order.
Altan, 69, smiled and waved late on Tuesday as he was driven away by counter-terrorism police officers after being taken from his Istanbul home, videos and photos on Turkish media showed.