Erdoğan criticizes Constitutional Court's decision on spy case

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Sunday criticized the Constitional Court's decision to free Can Dündar and Erdem Gül, and said that the case involved espionage and had nothing to do with freedom of speech.

Can Dündar and Erdem Gül, senior journalists at the Cumhuriyet newspaper, were released from jail Friday after the Constitutional Court decided their rights had been violated. They were arrested in November over allegations including espionage, attempting to overthrow the government and supporting terrorism.

"I keep silent [on] the decision of the Constitutional Court but do not abide by the decision," President Erdoğan said. "In my opinion, [the] media should not have unlimited freedom. There is no absolute freedom anywhere in the world media as well."

Speaking at a news conference at Atatürk International Airport ahead of a visit to west Africa, the president said he always supported freedom of speech.

"I need to repeat that this case is not linked to freedom of expression whatsoever," he said. "This is an espionage case."

The president also outlined the ongoing nature of the case, which is scheduled to go to trial on March 26. "This is not a decision of acquittal, this is a release order," he said.

Erdoğan said the Justice and Development (AK) Party had supported the media during its 14 years in office. "During our era, they were out of prison," he said, referring to journalists. "We have made many legal regulations to open their way."

Dündar, the newspaper's editor-in-chief, and Gül, its Ankara bureau chief, were arrested after the newspaper published images in May purportedly showing shells and ammunition loaded on Syria-bound trucks belonging to Turkey's National Intelligence Organization (MIT). They have been held on remand in prison since their arrests.

Erdoğan will visit Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria and Guinea during his trip.