Turkish committee report reveals total prison sentences and charges in a year

ANKARA — A report by the Media and Legal Business Committee in Turkey monitored the total number of criminal convictions related to freedom of expression.

The report stated that 466 prosecutions, resulting in 211 convictions, were conducted by courts in 23 different Turkish regions between 1 September 2021 and 20 July 2022.

The number of convictions for freedom of expression have increased dramatically during the reviewed period. The collective length of the prison sentences for 67 people convicted in 41 cases totaled almost 300 years.

The report showed that human rights activists, journalists, and students constituted the majority of those who were tried in the evaluated period. The most common charge against those tried was “belonging to a terrorist organization”.