Turkey's Twitter whistleblower faces life in prison

By Muhammed Enes Can and Murat Kaya

ISTANBUL (AA) - An Istanbul chief public prosecutor on Wednesday demanded aggravated life sentence for a suspected FETO-linked journalist for creating a Twitter account under the name of Fuat Avni, the so-called government whistleblower, according to a judicial source.

The indictment sent to Istanbul’s 25th High Criminal Court described Said Sefa as the creator of the "fuatavni" account, which it said was used as a "propaganda tool" for the Fetullah Terrorist Organization, the source said on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media.

Sefa is accused of attempting to abolish the government, or prevent it from performing its duties by using force, for which the prosecution seeks an aggravated life imprisonment.

He is also charged with managing an armed terrorist organization with the prosecution seeking a jail term of up to 15 months.

Sefa, who was the chief editor of the FETO-linked news website, haberdar.com, was detained and remanded last July in the wake of the failed coup attempt.

According to the indictment, apart from Sefa, 28 other suspects are facing up to 10 years in jail for being a member of a terrorist organization.

The suspects, 25 of whom are in custody, are mostly journalists, the source added.

According to Turkey’s government, Fetullah Gulen Terrorist Organization, or FETO, and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen-orchestrated the defeated coup of July 2016 which left at least 248 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara has also said FETO is behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.

In the wake of the putsch attempt, tens of thousands of FETO suspects have been arrested, including many in the armed forces, police, judicial system, education and business sector.