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The former editor-in-chief of the Turkish newspaper Cumhuriyet fled to Germany in 2016 and Turkey demands his extradition.
On Christmas Eve, a court in Istanbul sentenced him to 18 years and nine months in prison for espionage, as well as eight years and nine months in prison for helping a terrorist organization. The EU is reacting strongly to this.
“The EU has repeatedly expressed its serious concern about the increasingly negative development in terms of law enforcement, fundamental rights and the judiciary in Turkey,” the statement said.
– The decision of the Turkish court to convict journalist Can Dündar for his basic freedom of expression is very regrettable, it is further stated.
– As a candidate country and a long-time member of the Council of Europe, Turkey must immediately signal concrete and sustained progress in terms of respect for fundamental rights, which is a cornerstone of EU-Turkey relations, the statement said.
