Prime Minister Sues Newspaper

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan sued "Gunluk Evrensel" (Daily Evrensel) newspaper for publishing the slogans of SEKA workers. Erdogan is seeking 15,000 new Turkish liras (USD 11,000) in damages. A Turkish court began handling the case on March 24.

Erdogan sued the newspaper saying the article titled, "SEKA Workers are cursing at AKP," on February 1, 2005, consisted of "severe and intolerable insults."

The newspaper's lawyer Devrim Avci told the court that the attempt to close down the SEKA factory, and the protests by the workers and their families became the top news in the whole media.

The lawyer said that the article in question was a news story and added it's the media's indispensable right to give news. Avci also said that the media wouldn't judge a news article based on whether it's in favor of or against a person.

Avci said that the sentences in question were clearly the slogans of the workers and added this was obvious from the photographs. The media would become a means for advertising if it only gave news that praise politicians. The next hearing will be held on May 3, the World Press Freedom Day.(EO/EU/EA/YE)