Turkish court convicts opposition editor over tweet

ANKARA, Turkey – Opposition newspaper Cumhuriyet says a court has convicted its online editor Oguz Guven on charges of engaging in “terrorist propaganda” and sentenced him to three years and one month in prison.

Guven, who bears legal responsibility for the newspaper’s Twitter account, was charged over a tweet reporting the death in a traffic accident of a prosecutor who filed the first indictment against the network of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen. The tweet, which was quickly deleted, described the prosecutor as having been “mowed down.”

The court in Istanbul ruled Tuesday that the tweet constituted propaganda on behalf of Gulen’s movement, which Turkey blames for last year’s failed coup. Gulen denies involvement.

Guven is expected to appeal the verdict. Several other Cumhuriyet employees are on trial separately for allegedly “sponsoring” terror groups.