Joakim is still in prison in Istanbul, awaiting two more trials with more serious charges. He is being prosecuted for participating in a terrorist organization and for spreading terrorist propaganda.
The verdict regarding the insult is conditional and the prison sentence is set to under a year, but still, it is worrying, says Paul Levin, head of the Institute for Turkey Studies at Stockholm University.
A foreign journalist is convicted of a crime he committed in his home country, which is not even a crime there.
Broad Terrorism Legislation
The charges included spreading a caricature of Turkey's president. It refers to images accompanying Medin's texts, images he did not choose himself.
A court made an assessment that he could be convicted despite what I think was a very weak evidence. And that's not positive, says Levin.
It is very possible that there will be convictions even in the future, he fears.
Turkish terrorism legislation is broad and is used quite frequently. Things that we in Sweden would not consider terrorist propaganda can fall under the classification in Turkey.
Unfortunately, I do not think we can breathe a sigh of relief on Joakim's behalf yet.
Signal to Journalists
In a broader perspective, the conviction of Medin implies that all those who have posted critical posts on social media or written something critical about Erdogan must think twice before traveling to Turkey, he points out.
Maybe they want to send a signal to other journalists who focus on the Kurdish issue and write critically about the Turkish government. It gives reason for reflection, says Levin.
