On 30 April, Swedish journalist Joakim Medin, detained in Turkey, received a suspended prison sentence of 11 months and 20 days for “insulting the president,” Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. He remains in prison pending a separate trial in Istanbul on charges of “membership in an illegal organisation” and “terrorist propaganda.” RSF calls on the authorities to release him immediately.
The courtroom was packed in the imposing building of the Criminal Court of First Instance of Ankara yet Joakim Medin was not in the room, appearing via videoconference from his Istanbul prison, accompanied by one of his lawyers. Arrested upon arrival at Istanbul Airport on 27 March, the special correspondent for the Swedish media outlet Dagens ETC was sentenced to a suspended prison sentence for “insulting the president.” The journalist remains in prison as he faces another trial, which the judge announced will be held in Istanbul, for charges of “membership in an illegal organisation” and “terrorist propaganda.”
During the trial, Joakim Medin recounted the circumstances of his arrest, notably that he was interrogated without an interpreter or legal counsel. Hee also reported that the police officer conducting the interrogation falsified his signature. On 30 March, he was transferred to the high-security Marmara Prison in Silivri, on the outskirts of Istanbul.
“We find it undemocratic that Joakim Medin was convicted in this first case and we profoundly regret that the decision for his release is not enough to ensure his freedom today, due to another pending case against him. We urge the Turkish authorities to first release the journalist and then quickly set a date for the second trial — and drop the charges.
