ANKARA - İstanbul 13th Heavy Penal Court has ordered the release of Hüseyin Aykol, a journalist who has been behind bars for three-and-a half months. Aykol was released late last night.
Journalist Hüseyin Aykol has been oredered to be released upon an application by his attorney.
The former co-editor-in-chief of the daily Özgür Gündem, which was shut down upon a statutory decree, was arrested after being sentenced to 3 years and 9 months in prison on July 12.
After the judicial reform package came into effect yesterday (October 24), Özcan Kılıç, an attorney of Aykol, applied for his release. He requested the suspension of the execution of the sentence in an application to İstanbul 13th Heavy Penal Court. The court ordered the journalist to be released as the judicial reform opened the way for his retrial.
After his release late last night, Aykol said: "It is not possible to be not happy. But we have many friends still in there. And my being released might be only temporary. I still have two ongoing cases in the Court of Appeal and one sent to the Supreme Court. Supreme court may approve my sentence. It looks like I'll be out in the winter but I may be back inside in the summer. Thanks to everyone sending me letters.
Hüseyin Aykol has been held in prison since 11 July.