"The reporters were arrested in March amid a mass protest movement triggered by the arrest of Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who is a critic of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The Turkish government has rejected accusations of political interference, insisting the judiciary acts independently. They, along with thousands of protesters, had been accused of violating Turkiye's Law 2911 on meetings and demonstrations a measure rights groups say is used to curb peaceful assembly."
"They cite its legal basis for dispersing gatherings that impede public movement or violate security instructions. AFP, which had repeatedly called for Akgul's acquittal, hailed the court decision. AFP welcomes the acquittal of Yasin Akgul and his colleagues. This case against photographers doing their job on the streets of Istanbul should never have been brought, Phil Chetwynd, AFP's global news director, said. Journalists must be allowed to cover demonstrations and protests unhindered, he added."
A Turkish court acquitted four media workers accused of taking part in an allegedly unlawful demonstration they were covering in Istanbul earlier this year. Those cleared include AFP photographer Yasin Akgul, Ali Onur Tosun, and freelancers Bulent Kilic and Zeynep Kuray. The reporters were arrested in March amid protests triggered by the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu. Authorities had accused them under Turkiye's Law 2911 on meetings and demonstrations, which rights groups say curbs peaceful assembly. AFP and Reporters Without Borders welcomed the acquittals and called for unhindered press coverage of protests.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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