Professor Mümtazer Türköne, a journalist from the now-closed Zaman newspaper who was among dozens of journalists jailed in the aftermath of a failed coup attempt in July 2016, was seen in handcuffs at a hospital where he was taken for treatment, the Bold Medya news website reported.
In July 2018 the 63-year-old Türköne was handed down a prison sentence of 10 years, six months on terrorism charges in a trial in which other journalists from Zaman were also given jail sentences of varying lengths.
In the photos Türköne is seen in the corridor of a hospital in handcuffs. The humiliating treatment of the journalist has attracted widespread criticism on social media.
The Zaman daily, which was Turkey’s best-selling newspaper, was closed down along with dozens of other media outlets due to their links to the Gülen movement, which is accused by Turkey’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) government of masterminding the coup attempt in July 2016. The movement strongly denies any involvement in the failed putsch.
Turkey, where more than 150 journalists and media workers are currently jailed, was ranked 157th among 180 countries in the 2018 World Press Freedom Index released in April by Reporters Without Borders (RSF).