Journalists Nazlı Ilıcak and Ahmet Altan were sentenced for "aiding an armed terrorist organization" after a prolonged legal process.
The current sentences of 3 years 9 months for Ilıcak and 4 years 6 months for Altan are the result of a retrial following two Supreme Court of Appeals reversals.
Their case has seen multiple judicial outcomes, including initial aggravated life sentences and subsequent releases, highlighting the complex nature of the legal proceedings.

Atlas AI
" The Istanbul 26th High Criminal Court, on March 12, 2026, sentenced Ilıcak to 3 years and 9 months, while Altan received a 4-year and 6-month sentence. This latest ruling follows two previous reversals by Turkey's Supreme Court of Appeals. " Following this, in 2019, Altan was sentenced to 10 years and 6 months, and Ilıcak to 8 years and 9 months. They were subsequently released from prison.
The Supreme Court of Appeals' 16th Criminal Chamber then overturned these sentences a second time, deeming the applied sentence reductions insufficient. The recent court decision is the outcome of the retrial initiated after these Supreme Court of Appeals' reversals.
About this story
Atlas360 covers Politics as part of a broader effort to give international readers fast, source-checked context on global affairs. Our newsroom monitors original reporting from wire services, accredited correspondents and verified eyewitness accounts, then re-summarises the most important facts in clear, plain-language English so that you can understand both what happened and why it matters.
Every published article on Atlas360 is reviewed for accuracy, balance and timeliness before it reaches the homepage. When new information emerges — for example a correction from an official source, a casualty update, or a clarifying statement from a named spokesperson — we update the story in place and keep the original publication time so readers can track how a developing situation evolves.
If you want to keep following Politics, you can browse the related coverage at the foot of this page, subscribe to the Atlas360 newsletter for a daily roundup, or open the relevant topic page where every story we have published on the subject is listed in reverse chronological order. Reader signals from the community feed also shape which threads we keep reporting on.