Turkish court releases jailed journalist in opposition newspaper case

ISTANBUL – A Turkish court released prominent journalist Kadri Gursel from jail pending trial late on Monday, in a case that targets the opposition Cumhuriyet newspaper and has been condemned by critics of President Tayyip Erdogan as an attack on free speech.

Television footage showed Gursel hugging his wife and colleagues as he emerged from jail at Silivri, west of Istanbul after some 330 days in custody.

"This is not something to be really happy about. There are Cumhuriyet staff who have been jailed due to unjust, baseless allegations," Gursel told reporters outside the jail.

Prosecutors say Cumhuriyet was effectively taken over by supporters of Fethullah Gulen, a US-based cleric blamed by the government for last year's attempted coup, and that the paper was used to target Erdogan and "veil the actions of terrorist groups."