Turkish journalists and activist acquitted on terrorism charges

A Turkish court has acquitted two journalists and a human rights activist of terrorism charges.

The three defendants had been accused of spreading terrorist propaganda for their work with a Kurdish newspaper, which has since been closed.

But the three men have always claimed that they were defending freedom of expression as part of the crackdown on political opponents by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

When the acquittal was read, applause broke out in the audience hall of Istanbul.

• Turkey accuses press freedom activists
• Erdogan & # 39; s Turkey

One of the accused, Erol Onderoglu, is the Turkish representative of the press watch group, Reporters Without Borders.

The group's annual press freedom index ranks the country 157th out of 180 countries and is considered the world's largest jailer of journalists.

Mr. Onderoglu, the journalist Ahmet Nesin and Sebnem Korur Fincanci, President of the Turkish Foundation for Human Rights, were arrested in June 2016.