Turkish journalist acquitted in MIT trucks case

By Muhammed Enes Can and Basak Akbulut Yazar

ISTANBUL (AA) - An Istanbul court on Monday acquitted a Turkish journalist accused of espionage in a case about revealing state secrets by publishing footage of MIT truck incident.

Istanbul’s 14th Heavy Penal Court acquitted Erdem Gul, the Ankara bureau chief of Turkish newspaper Cumhuriyet.

In May, 2016, the 14th High Criminal Court in Istanbul had convicted Can Dundar, the former editor-in-chief of Cumhuriyet daily, and Gul following the publication of images purporting to show arms being transported to Syria in trucks belonging to Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization, also known as the MIT.

The two defendants were arrested late November 2015 and held in prison until Feb. 26, 2016 when Turkey's Constitutional Court ruled that their rights had been violated and ordered their release.

Earlier this year, Turkey’s Supreme Court of Appeals overturned a previous ruling given by an Istanbul court on the case and ordered Gul's acquittal over lack of evidence.