A court in the eastern Turkish province of Bitlis on Tuesday sentenced local journalist Sinan Aigul to 10 months in prison under a new law on combating disinformation, which human rights activists criticize as restricting freedom of speech.

This is reported by "European Truth" with reference to Reuters

Aigul was detained in December 2022 after he posted on Twitter that a 14-year-old girl from Bitlis was allegedly sexually assaulted by men, in particular police officers and soldiers.

The journalist later refuted the story when he received a corresponding assurance from the governor of the province, and apologized for publishing the story without receiving confirmation from the authorities.

Nevertheless, law enforcement officers arrested Aigul, and later the Bitlis court decided to take Aigul into custody before the trial. The court decided that the journalist's actions could lead to fear and panic among the population and disrupt peace in the country, given the size of his audience on Twitter.

Despite this, at the first hearing of the case, the local court sentenced Aigul to 10 months in prison, ruling that he had spread false information that could lead to fear and panic among the population. The journalist will remain at large pending an appeal against the verdict.