Erdogan says he won’t ‘accept’ or ‘respect’ court decision to free journalists

Can Dundar and Erdem Gul are facing espionage charges over their reporting for the opposition newspaper Cumhuriyet. They were arrested in November.

On Thursday, Turkey’s Constitutional Court ruled that their detention was "not lawful” and had violated their rights.

They were then freed pending their trial in March.

Erdogan said: "I can only remain silent over the decision the Constitutional Court made.

"But I don’t have to accept it, let me be clear about that. I don’t agree with the decision and I don’t respect it.”

Dundar and Gul were charged with aiding a terrorist organisation and publishing material that violated state security. Cumhuriyet published reporting and videos, which the paper said showed Turkish intelligence officials transporting weapons to Syria in 2014.

(euronews.com)