Three Years Imprisonment for Threatening Agos Newspaper

The Şişli 1st Criminal Court of First Instance in Istanbul has sentenced Muhammet Karay to 3 years 3 months imprisonment for sending an email message containing threats against employees of the Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos newspaper and Armenians in general on 25 January 2007, six days after the murder of the newspaper's editor Hrant Dink.

Karay had threatened employees with death in the email. Following the complaint of former newspaper licence holder Serkis Seropyan, the newspaper's lawyers applied to the court.

"Created fear and worry"

The court, headed by Judge Mithat Ali Kabaali, argued that the defendant had "created deep fear and worry". Citing Article 106/2 (b) of the Turkish Penal Code, which deals with threats, it handed down the sentence on Thursday, 28 May.

The court pointed out that Karay had hidden his identity and had threatened anonymously.

The lawyers for the newspaper said in a written statement that they were pleased that the court had gone beyond the minimum sentence of two years, thus setting an example.

Two other convictions

Up to five court cases have been opened because of threats to employees of the newspaper. Before Karay, the Şişli 9th Criminal Court of First Instance sentenced Zafer Filiz, who had threatened the newspaper 12 days after Dink's murder, to three years imprisonment on 20 March 2008.

The same court sentenced Rıdvan Doğan, who had also sent a threatening message to the newspaper after the murder, to two years imprisonment in October 2007. Because Doğan had no previous criminal record and had expressed regrets, his sentence had been suspended. (EÖ/AG)