土耳其歌星、记者因政变未遂受审

Turkish pop star Atilla Tas and 28 others, most of them journalists, are being tried in Istanbul on terrorism charges over alleged links to a U.S.-based Muslim cleric blamed for last year's failed coup attempt in Turkey.

They face up to 10 years in prison if convicted of membership in "an armed terrorist organization,'' in a massive government crackdown that has seen more than 100 media outlets closed and more than 41,000 people arrested since July.

Turkish state media said Tas and several others are charged with managing a Twitter account that spread propaganda on behalf of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, who is accused of masterminding the coup attempt. Gulen has denied any knowledge of the plot.

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 at 151st out of 180 countries on its press freedom index last year.

The government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan insists the crackdown was essential for the stability of the country. But critics say the detentions show Turkey is becoming more authoritarian under the Islamist leader.

This trial is being closely watched in Turkey, which holds a referendum on April 16 on whether to expand the powers of the presidency.

土耳其流行音乐歌星阿提拉·塔斯和另外28人，其中大多数是资讯记者，在伊斯坦布尔因恐怖主义指控受审，罪名是涉嫌和参与了去年未遂政变的一位美国穆斯林牧师有关联。

如果被定为“武装恐怖组织”成员而获罪，这些人面临长达十年的监禁。政府在政变未遂后发动大规模镇压，已有100多家媒体关闭，自去年7月份以来有41,000多人被捕。

土耳其国家媒体说，塔斯和其他几个人负责管理一个推特帐户，代表美国的穆斯林阿訇法土拉·葛兰（Fethullah Gulen）作传播宣传。葛兰被控策划了这次未遂的政变。葛兰否认对这一阴谋知情。

人权团体说，土耳其已关押约一百五十名记者，其中许多记者是在政变之前被捕的，罪名是被控与打击土耳其政府的库尔德反叛分子有关。记者无国界组织去年将土耳其在资讯自由指数排行榜上排在180个国家中的第151位。

埃尔多安总统的政府坚持认为镇压对于国家的稳定至关重要。但批评人士说，这种拘留显示，土耳其在这位伊斯兰教领导人之下变得越来越专制。

这次审判在土耳其受到密切关注。土耳其将于4月16日举行公投，决定是否扩大总统职权。