Turkey court orders seizure of opposition journalist's property
ISTANBUL, Turkey — A Turkish court on Wednesday ordered the seizure of property belonging to dissident journalist Can Dundar, exiled in Germany, and the freezing of his bank accounts.
Turkish authorities issued an arrest warrant against the former editor-in-chief of Turkish opposition newspaper Cumhuriyet in 2018 and requested his extradition from Germany, where he settled after fleeing from Turkey.
Dundar was sentenced by a Turkish court in May 2016 to jail over a story about an arms shipment intercepted at the Syrian border.
"The real 'home' of a human being is his country. We, 82 million citizens, are about to lose that great home in the dark. This is what matters than any other house," Dundar tweeted in reaction to the court verdict.
Turkey is often accused by rights advocates of undermining press freedom by arresting journalists and shutting down media outlets. The country is ranked 154th out of 180 on the press freedom index published by Reporters Without Borders.
Turkish authorities issued an arrest warrant against the former editor-in-chief of Turkish opposition newspaper Cumhuriyet in 2018 and requested his extradition from Germany, where he settled after fleeing from Turkey.
Dundar was sentenced by a Turkish court in May 2016 to jail over a story about an arms shipment intercepted at the Syrian border.
"The real 'home' of a human being is his country. We, 82 million citizens, are about to lose that great home in the dark. This is what matters than any other house," Dundar tweeted in reaction to the court verdict.
Turkey is often accused by rights advocates of undermining press freedom by arresting journalists and shutting down media outlets. The country is ranked 154th out of 180 on the press freedom index published by Reporters Without Borders.