A well-known investigative journalist in Turkey was released today, days after being arrested under a controversial new “disinformation” law following his article on corruption in the judiciary.

Tolga Sardan, 55, was arrested and charged last Wednesday after publishing an article on the independent news site T24.

His article referred to a report allegedly presented to the presidency by the MIT intelligence agency on corruption in the Turkish judicial system.

The presidency denied the existence of such a report, immediately after the arrest of the journalist.

The recent “disinformation” law threatens journalists and social media users with prison terms of up to three years.

This law was passed last year with the help of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party, thereby strengthening the government’s influence over news sites and social media.

Today, a court released Sardan on the condition that he not leave the country pending his trial, according to T24.

“I stand by what I wrote,” the journalist said on his way out of prison. “All I did was try to inform people.”

Turkey ranks 165th out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders’ 2023 World Press Freedom Index.