Turkish anchorwoman faces 5 years in jail for tweet

ISTANBUL

Sedef Kabaş faces up to five years in prison.

Prosecutors seek up to five years of imprisonment for Turkish journalist and anchorwoman Sedef Kabaş for her tweet in which she called on citizens not to forget the name of the judge who dropped the Dec. 17, 2013 corruption probe that involved high-profile names and former Cabinet members.

An indictment has been prepared by the prosecutors on charges of  “targeting people involved in the fight against terrorism and making threats,” which is punishable with jail time from one-and-a-half years to five years.

“Do not forget the name of the judge who decided not to pursue the proceedings in the Dec. 17 probe,” Kabaş tweeted. She was referring to a massive graft probe which was officially dropped on Dec. 16 when the Istanbul Chief Prosecutor’s Office rejected an objection to its decision to not pursue proceedings in the case.

Kabaş was detained on Dec. 30 at her house and was released after testifying before a prosecutor. 

“I believe in the rule of law. I believe there still people who have faith in rule of law,” Kabaş said then, adding that her tablet, computer, and mobile phone were also seized by the police from her house.