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The Counterrorism Department of the Directorate General of Security made a statement on its Twitter account yesterday (March 17) and announced that it filed a criminal complaint against Turkish Medical Association (TTB) Central Council Chair Prof. Şebnem Korur Fincancı.
The TTB Central Council has responded to this criminal complaint by releasing a written statement.
The criminal complaint of the police came after Prof. Korur Fincancı attended the YouTube program of Erkam Tufan Aytav, a fugitive suspect in the trial of "Gülen community" or the "FETÖ", which is held accountable for the failed coup attempt in Turkey on July 15, 2016.
In its statement about the issue, the Counterrorism Department said that "a criminal complaint was filed to the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office on the grounds of her attendance to the program".
Responding to this complaint and statement, the TTB released a written statement and indicated that "the criminal complaint aimed to discredit the Turkish Medical Association in the public eye and [to compel it] to act shyly in fulfilling its duties and using its powers".
'Right to good reputation violated'
The statement of the TTB underlined that while the statement of the department "mentioned that there are several search warrants against the person to whom Korur Fincancı gave an interview, there is no statement as to the act of Korur Fincancı, who is facing the complaint".
"It is understood that the subject of the complaint is not the remarks during the broadcast, but that she attended this broadcast," said the TTB. Recalling that "the crime shall be attributed to the words and opinions constituting the broadcast itself according to the Press Law and the related legislation," the TTB said that the complaint "went beyond this general rule".
"The fact that a statement was made to the public by giving a name is not only exceptional, but the fact that the criminal complaint was announced means giving a judgment and execution, in a sense," it added.
Accordingly, the TTB stressed that this action "means the violation of the right to good reputation, which is safeguarded by the Constitution". It also announced that "all types of steps will be taken in order to eliminate all violations of rights arising from this statement that leads to an acting violation of the duty to protect rights, which is assigned by the legislation".
The TTB noted that "in a process when the struggle for [physicians'] labor and future is waged so powerfully, the efforts to tarnish the reputation of the Turkish Medical Association in the person of TTB Chair based on unlawful accusations are in vain" and expressed its determination to carry on with its struggle for the healthcare-labor rights". (RT/SD)
