“Calling Fatih” is Punishable By Up to 5 Years in Prison

Advocate Tora Pekin told bianet that PM Erdoğan’s phone call intervention to Habertürk TV has violated Turkish Penal Code. 

“By using his political influence, PM Erdoğan intervened Habertürk live broadcasting,” Pekin told bianet. 

“PM Erdoğan’s phone call intervention to Habertürk TV is punishable by 1 to 5 years of prison according to Turkish Penal Code Article 124/3 for “interrupting the broadcasting of a media outlet. 

“Interrupting broadcasting charges”

“PM already admitted his intervention to the broadcasting. Even though it stays on the paper, the constitution says that press is free and it can’t be censored. 

“According to this, we can expect to see PM stand trial in Turkey’s Supreme Court (Yüce Divan). 

“No pressures on media?”

“He will stand trial in the Supreme Court or not, what is more important today is what this means to the public sphere. 

“Many officials including PM and other ministers have made countless statements on how there are pressures on the media in Turkey. 

“Today, we understand that those were all lies. Lying is not punishable alone here. But such law-bending actions like this must have a cost. 

“I believe that there is a close relation between this degeneration and this order of lies.”

“Wherever there is pressure, we can’t mention freewill” 

“We can’t think of Habertürk’s willingness here. Habertürk removed the news tickers due to PM’s pressures.

“As the ‘responding party’ of the case, Habertürk editor-in-chief attended the 5N1K TV Show, saying that it was only an example of many pressures on Turkey’s media. 

“As a result of this, neither Altaylı nor Habertürk are obeying to PM because they are afraid and not because they want to. We can’t mention of freewill wherever there is oppression.”

What happened? 

According to the phone call recordings released recently, PM Erdoğan called Habertürk administrator Fatih Saraç on 4 June 2013, ordering him to remove news tickers about MHP chairman Devlet Bahçeli’s calls to President Gül to take responsibility in the political turmoil during the Gezi Protests. 

“Yes sir,” said Saraç. Later on he called Abdullah, one of the employees, to remove the aforementioned news ticker. 

While admitted his intervention, PM Erdoğan said the following: 

“I just made the necessary reminding. I just told them about a speech that targeted and insulted a prime minister while international trip. And they did the necessary application. 

“When they made similar insults at your bosses, we also acknowledged the harm being done.

“I don’t know if I am misunderstood. But we need to teach these things. Because these insults are not ordinary insults,” PM said. (EKN/BM)