Journalist Bekir Coşkun Ordered to Pay 2,000 Euros

Ankara 9th Assize Court found Cumhuriyet newspaper columnist Bekir Coşkun guilty of “assaulting personality rights of PM Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, ordering the senior journalist to pay roughly 2,000 euros as non-pecuniary damages. 

The case was opened upon Coşkun’s article “The Big State Thing...” published on September 20, 2012.  

“The aim is to punish dissidents,” Coşkun told bianet. 

On the hearing yesterday, Coşkun’s advocates requested the rejection of case on the ground that their client’s article respected the limits of criticism. 

Partially accepting advocates claims, the court issued a 5,000 Turkish Lira (roughly 2,000 euros) fine to Bekir Coşkun. 

“We will appeal this verdict,” Coşkun said. 

“We call this ellipsis (…) case. I have been writing with ellipsis ever since Süleyman Demirel was elected PM. My article doesn’t contain any insults at PM Erdoğan. On the other hand, I was recommended to sue Erdoğan when he called me “a writer whose pen flows dirt” at a parliamentary speech. I didn’t accept it. His job is to talk and my job is to write. Sometimes politicians say extreme things, such is the case with journalists. However, court trials hang above us like the sword of Damocles. My article is not about him in person. It is not about expression or press freedom either. These trials aim to punish and silence dissidents.”

Istanbul 10th Assize Court found journalist Ahmet Altan of insulting PM Erdoğan in his article “State Complicity and Morality” - a Taraf newspaper article dated January 4, 2012. The prominent journalist received 11 months and 20 days of prison, which was later on commuted to to a fine of 2,800 euros. (EA/BM)