While challenges to press freedom continue in Turkey, journalist Tolga Şardan and human rights defender Nurcan Kaya were sentenced to prison by the courts. Tolga Şardan was tried at the Istanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance for his articles published in T24 and received a 5-month prison sentence for 'insulting the judiciary of the state.' He was acquitted for another article. Nurcan Kaya was sentenced to 6 years and 3 months in prison on charges of 'membership in an organization' in the HDK case heard at the Istanbul 13th High Criminal Court. Kaya denied the charges and stated that the evidence against her was insufficient. Meanwhile, DW Turkish reporter Alican Uludağ, who has been detained for 70 days, informed the Ministry of Justice that he would cover the transfer expenses to physically attend his hearing in Ankara. Uludağ's hearing will be held on May 21 at the Ankara 57th Criminal Court of First Instance. These developments coincided with the period when Reporters Without Borders ranked Turkey as the 18th worst country in the world for press freedom.