Can Dündar, the former editor-in-chief of Turkish newspaper Cumhuriyet, was convicted Wednesday on charges of terrorism in Turkey and sentenced in absentia.

The Istanbul court convicted Dündar of aiding an armed terrorist organization and espionage. It sentenced him in absentia to 27 years and six months in prison. Dündar was first sentenced to five years in 2016 on espionage charges and attempting to topple the government for publishing footage that allegedly showed Turkey’s state intelligence agency transporting weapons to Syrian rebels in 2014. This report contradicted Turkey’s denial that it was not supplying arms to rebels and, by extension, contributing to the rise of the Islamic State. Dündar was later released when the matter went to appeal.  Upon his release, Dündar fled the country while another Turkish court ordered the seizure of his property and froze his Turkish bank accounts in October. He is now living in exile in Germany.

The case has brought international condemnation and raised concerns about free speech in Turkey. Turkish President Erdogan was the original complainant in this case, which has also raised fears regarding the independence of the judiciary. The Committee to Protect Journalists lists Turkey as one of the top jailers after China. There are growing international concerns that the nation’s judicial system is increasingly being used to censor the public.

Civil liberty organizations unequivocally condemned the court’s decision. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) editor-in-chief Pauline Adès-Mével said in a statement after the verdict, “[t]his insane and shocking decision confirms that President Erdogan’s regime is unable to halt its headlong flight into ever-greater authoritarianism.” 

In defense of the government’s actions, Fahrettin Altun, Communications Director of Turkey, stated:

Can Dündar was convicted on charges of espionage and assisting a terrorist organization. To call him a journalist —and his sentence, a blow to free speech— is an insult to real journalists everywhere. Instead of endorsing his crimes, our counterparts should extradite him to Turkey.

Dündar’s lawyers had boycotted the hearing over concerns that they would be unable to get a fair trial. Germany has denied Turkey’s extradition request on the grounds that the trial was politically motivated.