Jailed Turkish mothers 'not criminals', 'need protection', lawyers say in appeal

Two Turkish mothers who were jailed for six months for using forged passports - resulting in their young sons being placed in State care - have filed an appeal against the “disproportionate and excessive” punishment. The women, who are in the process of applying for asylum, will soon be applying for bail in the hope to be reunited with their sons - age two and four, explained their lawyers Gianluca Cappitta and Jason Grima. In the appeal, filed on Monday, the lawyers argued that the punishment was excessive in the circumstances. They said the women, Rabia Yavuz, 27, and Muzekka Deneri, 29, belonged to the Gulen movement - blamed for the 2016 failed coup on the Turkish government -  and fled their country to avoid harsh consequences to their political beliefs. Apart from that, they had two young children who had no other family connections in Malta. “The appellants are not criminals… they are in need of the protection of the State," the lawyers wrote in their appeal. "In these circumstances, a six-month jail term  was of no benefit and goes against the reformative aspect of our justice system," they continued. They also noted that the women, who started the process to apply for...