38 Face Lawsuit for Reporting, Commenting on Economic Crisis

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Journalists Kerim Karakaya and Fercan Yalınkılıç published an article on Bloomberg last year about the effect of the Turkish lira's sudden loss of value on the banks in Turkey, which lead the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency (BDDK) to file a complaint against the reporters.

The prosecutor's office has prepared a bill of indictment, demanding two to five years of jail terms for the journalists for "trying to weaken the economic order and stability of the state."

The BDDK filed a complaint against not only the reporters but also 36 others who commented on the article on social media. Economist Mustafa Sönmez, lawyer Gazi Kozanoğlu, and journalists Merdan Yanardağ and Sedef Kabaş Yirmibeşoğlu are among them.

The İstanbul 3rd Penal Court of First Instance has accepted the indictment. The first hearing of the case will be held on September 20 at the İstanbul courthouse.

Bloomberg Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait said "we condemn the indictment issued against our reporters, who have reported fairly and accurately on newsworthy events. We fully stand by them and will support them throughout this ordeal." (HA/VK)