Turkish pop singer, journalists go on trial over failed coup

A Turkish pop singer and 28 other people, mostly journalists, go on trial Monday on terrorism charges for alleged links to a failed coup attempt, highlighting the gulf between Turkey’s assertions that such prosecutions are needed to restore stability and international concerns that Turkish democracy is in peril.

Singer Atilla Tas and the other suspects in Turkey face up to 10 years in prison if convicted of membership in “an armed terrorist organization” in a massive government crackdown that has included closing more than 100 media outlets and the arrests of reporters and editors suspected of ties to the July 15 insurrection.

Human rights groups say Turkey has jailed about 150 journalists, many of whom were arrested before the botched insurrection, for alleged ties to Kurdish rebels who are fighting the Turkish state. The Reporters Without Borders group ranked Turkey 151st out of 180 countries on its press freedom index last year.

While critics say the detentions show Turkey is becoming more authoritarian, Turkish officials say the bulk of the journalists were jailed for illegal activities on behalf of enemies of a government facing numerous security challenges in the past year, including the Kurdish insurgency, attacks blamed on the Islamic State group and the attempted coup blamed on Fethullah Gulen, a US-based Muslim cleric.

Gulen has denied any knowledge of the coup attempt.

— AP