Deaf Man Convicted of being a Terrorist

A Turkish court has sentenced a deaf man to more than 8 years in prison for having a slice of lemon with him when he was arrested. Prosecutors claimed the wedge of fruit proved Mehmet Tahir Ilhan was spreading propaganda on behalf of the Kurdistan Workers' Party. Ilhan was taken into custody during a demonstration and lemon can ease the effects of tear gas. His lawyer says he had just left a market and got caught in the demonstration by mistake. He was not involved in throwing stones or Molotov cocktails, the lawyer said. Ilhan is illiterate and works at a bazaar in the city of Mersin.