Court dismisses newspaper executive's suit for damages against harassed woman journalist

Adana Courthouse (File photo)

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The regional representative of Dünya newspaper in the southern Adana province, Recep Ş., verbally harassed a woman colleague for about a year.

After the harassed journalist left the job, the newspaper's board addressed the issue. It was also revealed that other women employees were harassed.

Resigning after the revelations, Recep Ş. filed lawsuits against the newspaper and the woman journalist who revealed the harassment. He accused A.D. of "slander," seeking 26,000 lira (~3,600 USD) in compensation.

The Adana 3rd Penal Court of First Instance dismissed the case.

Recep Ş. questioned why the woman remained silent for a year and told the court that he was married with children.

Tuba Güneş, the journalist's attorney, presented statistics to the court about harassed women remaining silent.

"This is not the freedom of seeking rights but an effort to silence a woman who speaks out against violence," she said.

"Unlike what the counterparty claims, the fact that the plaintiff is married with children and a well-known person does not mean that he wouldn't commit the offense of sexual assault," she noted. "We don't want to get used to women's silence against harassment being questioned."

After the hearing, the women journalist said, "Recep Recep Ş. filed a lawsuit and stepped aside. Although he caused me to quit the job, he gave me this three-year period of the case with filing the lawsuit.

"But unions and women standing with me made me stronger. It allowed us to go through this period together. I am very happy that we won the case but even being pleased with the rejection of this case, which was meaningless from the beginning, is sad."

Recep Ş. denies allegations

Releasing a statement today (February 24), Recep Ş. denied the allegations of harassment.

"I have never faced such a slander in my life. I am struggling against the slanderer before the law. The first degree court may not have accepted our request but the legal process is continuing," he said.

Recep Ş. further said that A.D. resigned after working at the newspaper for 10 months, citing heavy workload, and then made a job application to the newspaper's İstanbul office.

"As her former manager, my reference was requested and I said that I could not refer to her, stating that she left work unfinished," he said. "After I didn't refer her for the job, she made some slander about me to the managers at Dünya Newspaper's headquarters. Then I had to become at odds with the company." (EMK/VK)