Turkish court upholds verdict against 12 former Cumhuriyet employees

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - A Turkish court on Thursday upheld its conviction of 12 former employees of the opposition Cumhuriyet newspaper, despite a higher court ruling, a lawmaker from the main opposition said.

The court acquitted a 13th defendant, Kadri Gursel, due to a ruling by the Constitutional Court, Turkey's highest, said Sezgin Tanrikulu, of the Republican People's Party (CHP) on Twitter.

The Court of Cassation, the high court of appeals, had ruled for the 12 defendants to be acquitted, with the exception of journalist and politician Ahmet Sik, who the court had said should be tried for a different crime.

(Reporting by Ali Kucukgocmen; Editing by Ece Toksabay)