Turkey Frees Two Journalists after High Court Ruling

Turkey has released two journalists on Friday after the country's Constitutional Court ruled that their imprisonment was a violation of their rights.

The two prisoners, the editor-in-chief of Cumhuriyet newspaper Can Dundar and Ankara bureau chief Erdem Gul, left Silivri jail, which sits on the outskirts of the bustling city of Istanbul, on Friday. They were greeted by family members and supporters.

The Constitutional Court found that Dundar and Gul's "rights to personal liberty and security" and "freedom of expression and freedom of press" were all violated when they were placed behind bars. The Turkish media reported that 12 members voted in favor of the decision to free the journalists while three did not.

"I think that this is a very historic ruling," Dundar reportedly said as he was leaving the prison, according to Cumhuriyet. "I think it is a nice gift for him. We will continue. We will have nice birthday gifts for him."

The two were released on the president's 62nd birthday.

Dundar, who said he is not angry about the whole ordeal, will continue to fight for and defend human rights, noting that he knows at least 30 colleagues who are still imprisoned.

"We will continue to fight for press freedom until the concentration camp (Silivri jail) that you see behind us becomes a museum," he said.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) stated that although they were "delighted" by the Constitutional Court's ruling, they will "continue to campaign on their behalf...until the absurd charges against them have been dropped."

Dundar and Gul have been in the jail for the past three months on highly controversial charges that accused them of violating state security and aiding an armed terrorist group.

The two journalists had published a report with photos and videos last May that accused President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's administration of attempting to send arms to Islamists in neighboring country Syria. The report specifically stated, according to RT that trucks filled with "1,000 artillery shells, 50,000 machine gun rounds, 30,000 heavy machine gun rounds and 1,000 mortar shells" were headed to Syria for anti-government extremists.

After the report was published, Erdogan stated that the trucks had belonged to the MIT intelligence agency, which was sending aid to the Turkish men in Syria who have been fighting pro-government forces and the Islamic State.

The subsequent arrest of the journalists then drew harsh criticisms from around the world. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden called out Turkey for setting a bad example by using intimidation to prevent journalists from doing their job properly. The Enlargement Commission of the European Union, Johannes Hahn, said that Turkey has to respect freedom of speech, especially since they want to become a part of the EU.

Dundar and Gul are expected to stand trial next month. The prosecutors are reportedly asking for multiple life sentences.