ANKARA: Five Turkish journalists were beginning jail sentences on Tuesday after a court rejected their appeal against a conviction related to their coverage of the deaths of Turkish intelligence officers in Libya in 2020, a lawyer in the case said.
The five were convicted in September 2020 of revealing information and documents connected to intelligence activities. They were variously held in detention for up to six months during their trial.
The charges related to articles and social media posts published shortly after President Tayyip Erdogan said in February 2020 that Turkey had “several martyrs” in Libya.
Turkey has provided military support and training to Libya’s internationally recognized Government of National Accord, and helped it fight off an assault lasting several months on the capital Tripoli by eastern Libyan forces led by Khalifa Haftar.
Two journalists were sentenced in September 2020 to three years and nine months in jail, while three were given four years and eight months.
The defendants denied the accusations, saying they had been doing their jobs as journalists. An appeals court rejected their application on Jan. 28.
According to the indictment, Murat Agirel, a reporter for Yeni Cag newspaper, was the first to reveal the identities of the intelligence officers, sharing names and photos on Twitter and referring to Erdogan’s comments.
“I am going to jail again for wishing martyrdom for the children of the homeland who fell as martyrs ... Do not be silent, do not fear,” Agirel tweeted on Tuesday before turning himself in.
Celal Ulgen, a lawyer in the case, said the journalists were being jailed for doing their jobs and called the sentences “an intimidation directed toward all of society.”
Turkey is one of the world’s biggest jailers of journalists.
Critics say Erdogan has eroded the independence of courts and the media since a crackdown following an attempted coup in 2016. Officials say the courts are autonomous and arrests have been necessary due to security risks.
Turkish courts do not generally confirm rulings to the media and there was no word on Tuesday’s case from the government.
Five Turkish journalists to be jailed over Libya coverage after failed appeal
https://arab.news/cpvz9
Five Turkish journalists to be jailed over Libya coverage after failed appeal
- The five were convicted in September 2020 of revealing information and documents connected to intelligence activities
- Two journalists were sentenced in September 2020 to three years and nine months in jail, while three were given four years and eight months
Tucker Carlson claims he was detained at Israeli airport
DUBAI: Earlier this week, Tucker Carlson flew to Israel to interview US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, according to media reports.
Carlson, who reportedly refused to leave Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport complex, conducted the interview at the airport, after which he said he and his staff were detained and their passports were seized.
“Men who identified themselves as airport security took our passports, hauled our executive producer into a side room and then demanded to know what we spoke to Ambassador Huckabee about,” Carlson said in a statement to The New York Post.
However, Carlson’s claims have been contradicted by Huckabee and Israeli authorities.
Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor and Fox News host, said on social media platform X that “EVERYONE who comes in/out of Israel (every country for that matter) has passports checked & routinely asked security questions,” including himself, despite holding a diplomatic passport and visa.
Thanks @EFischberger for a more accurate report. EVERYONE who comes in/out of Israel (every country for that matter) has passports checked & routinely asked security questions. Even ME going in/out with Diplomatic Passport & Diplomatic Visa. https://t.co/UbblLiznMO
— Ambassador Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) February 18, 2026
The US Embassy in Israel also described the interaction as routine passport control procedures.
The Israel Airports Authority said in a statement that Carlson and his staff “were not detained, delayed, or interrogated.”
They were asked “a few routine questions, in accordance with standard procedures applied to many travelers,” and this conversation took place in a separate room within the VIP lounge to protect their privacy, the statement added.
“No unusual incident occurred, and the Israel Airports Authority firmly rejects any other claims.”
Israeli Airports Authority:
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) February 18, 2026
Contrary to the reports, Tucker Carlson and his entourage were not detained, delayed, or interrogated.
Mr. Carlson and his party were politely asked a few routine questions, in accordance with standard procedures applied to many travelers.
The…
Carlson has faced criticism in recent years over his commentary on Israel, with critics accusing him of amplifying narratives that are hostile to Israel and, at times, antisemitic. He has also questioned Israel’s treatment of Christian communities in the region.
After Fox News canceled his show in April 2023, he launched his own program, “The Tucker Carlson Show” in 2024.
The show has featured controversial figures, including Darryl Cooper, who has made statements widely condemned as Holocaust denial, and white nationalist commentator Nick Fuentes.
In his interview with Fuentes, Carlson labeled Huckabee a “Christian Zionist.”
Carlson has also criticized Huckabee for not doing enough to protect Christian interests in the region. In one video, he said: “Why not go ahead and talk to Christians and find out their side of the story? Why aren’t American Christian leaders like Mike Huckabee or Ted Cruz, people who invoke the Christian Bible to justify what they’re doing, why haven’t they done this?”
Huckabee responded to the video on X, writing: “Instead of talking ABOUT me, why don’t you come talk TO me? You seem to be generating a lot of heat about the Middle East. Why be afraid of the light?”
Carlson accepted the invitation, and their teams coordinated the interview, leading to his brief visit to Israel.
