Turkey Demands 11 Years behind Bars for Senior Journalist

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers his speech IN the Albanian Parliament, in Tirana, Albania, January 17, 2022. (Reuters)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers his speech IN the Albanian Parliament, in Tirana, Albania, January 17, 2022. (Reuters)
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Turkey Demands 11 Years behind Bars for Senior Journalist

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers his speech IN the Albanian Parliament, in Tirana, Albania, January 17, 2022. (Reuters)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers his speech IN the Albanian Parliament, in Tirana, Albania, January 17, 2022. (Reuters)

A Turkish prosecutor's office demanded 11 years in jail for a prominent journalist on charges of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and two ministers in his cabinet, Turkish news agencies reported on Friday.

Last month, a court ordered Sedef Kabas, a 52-year-old television journalist who mainly covers Turkish politics, to be jailed pending trial on a charge of insulting Erdogan, which carries a jail sentence of between one and four years.

The prosecutor also asked Kabas to be charged with insulting Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu and Transportation Minister Adil Karaismailoglu, for a combined jail term of 11 years.

Kabas was jailed pending trial over a proverb she cited during a political discussion on opposition TV channel Tele 1 and repeated on Twitter, which Erdogan's communications head and the justice minister condemned as a swipe at the president.

Earlier on Friday, the Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) and 37 press freedom organizations and journalists called on Turkey to release Kabas.

"The unfounded imprisonment of the noted journalist was met with widespread condemnation from local and international press freedom organizations as well as rights organizations and press freedom defenders," the joint statement said.

"Yet, the Turkish government and judiciary appear relentless and Sedef remains behind bars," it added.

Tens of thousands have been charged and convicted over the crime of insulting the president since Erdogan took office in 2014 after serving as prime minister for 11 years.

Between 2014 and the end of 2020, 160,169 such investigations were launched, 35,507 cases were filed and there were 12,881 convictions, official data shows.



Biden after Trump’s Election Win: Setbacks Are Unavoidable

US President Joe Biden addresses the nation from the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, November 7, 2024, after Donald Trump won the presidential election. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)
US President Joe Biden addresses the nation from the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, November 7, 2024, after Donald Trump won the presidential election. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)
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Biden after Trump’s Election Win: Setbacks Are Unavoidable

US President Joe Biden addresses the nation from the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, November 7, 2024, after Donald Trump won the presidential election. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)
US President Joe Biden addresses the nation from the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, November 7, 2024, after Donald Trump won the presidential election. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)

Seeking to console fellow Democrats, US President Joe Biden delivered remarks to the nation Thursday in what was his first appearance on camera following Republican Donald Trump’s decisive victory.

"Setbacks are unavoidable. Giving up is unforgiveable," Biden said at the White House Rose Garden as he addressed staff who were disappointed in Vice President Kamala Harris' defeat. "A defeat does not mean we are defeated."

Biden said Tuesday's election had proven the integrity of the US electoral system and said he would preside over an orderly transfer of power.

"We lost this battle. The America of your dreams is calling for you to get back up," he said.

The president reiterated that the US election system “is honest, it is fair, and it is transparent. And it can be trusted, win or lose.”

“America endures,” he said. “We’re going to be ok, but we need to stay engaged.”

Some Democrats have blamed Biden, 81, for Harris' defeat, saying he should not have sought reelection. Biden only dropped his reelection bid in July after a disastrous TV debate with Trump raised alarm bells about his mental fitness.
Trump's campaign said Biden had invited him to meet at the White House at an unspecified time. In the weeks ahead, Trump will select personnel to serve under his leadership.