Turkish court acquits two Bloomberg reporters

A Turkish court on Friday acquitted two Bloomberg reporters along with dozens of other defendants facing jail terms on charges of trying to undermine the country’s economic stability.

A Bloomberg News story states, “After a two-and-half-year trial, the court dropped charges against Kerim Karakaya and Fercan Yalinkilic over a 2018 story about how authorities and banks were responding to the country’s biggest currency shock since 2001.

“The Bloomberg reporters were indicted along with more than thirty people, who were charged over social media comments deemed critical of Turkey’s economy and banks, following complaints from the country’s banking and capital market regulators. Karakaya and Yalinkilic were facing a prison term of between two and five years if convicted.

“Bloomberg Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait said ‘we are pleased that the Court has recognized the baselessness of the charges and we continue to fully support the work of our journalists in Turkey.'”

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