Dündar steps down as editor-in-chief from Cumhuriyet

ISTANBUL

Prominent journalist Can Dündar has announced his resignation from daily Cumhuriyet as editor-in-chief, a post he took over in early 2015 at a time he and the newspaper’s Ankara bureau chief faced trial for “leaking state secrets” over a report.

In a farewell piece, Dündar said he would continue to pen his column.

“I will not forget the experience here through all my life. I will continue my existence as a columnist for Cumhuriyet,” Dündar said.

Last month, he announced his decision to take a prolonged leave of absence.

Dündar had said in a tweet that he would not return to the country until the state of emergency which was declared after the failed coup attempt of July 15 ends.

Dündar and Cumhuriyet Ankara bureau chief Erdem Gül faced trial for “leaking state secrets” due to stories they published about Turkish intelligence trucks bound for Syria with hidden weapons in early 2014. They were arrested on Nov. 26, 2015, and released on Feb. 26 following a Constitutional Court decision.

An Istanbul court later sentenced Dündar and Gül to five years in prison for “leaking state secrets” on May 6.
Earlier on the same day, he escaped unharmed from an armed attack directed at him in front of the Istanbul Çağlayan Courthouse, but NTV journalist Yağız Şenkal was struck in the leg by a bullet.

Dündar was recently honored with the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists’ (CPJ) 2016 International Press Freedom Award.