Journalist İnce Sentenced to 11 Months, 20 Days in Prison Due to ‘Acrostic Defense’

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Journalist and writer Barış İnce has been sentenced to 11 months and 20 days in prison for having insulted the President with his "acrostic defense". The pronouncement of the verdict has been suspended.

Barış İnce, the former Managing Editor of daily BirGün, presented the related acrostic statement of defense as part of an investigation launched against him for the news article "They made a double highway to their pockets" published on BirGün newspaper.

The article subject to the lawsuit featured the summaries of proceedings on the Turkey Youth and Education Service Foundation (TÜRGEV) chaired by Bilal Erdoğan, the son of President and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

The first letters of Barış İnce's statement of defense presented to the court spelled out the expression "Hırsız Tayyip", or "Thief Tayyip" in English.

Supreme Court of Appeals reversed the first judgement

Due to this statement of defense, which was reported in the news as "acrostic defense", another lawsuit was filed against journalist İnce on the same charge of "insulting the President".

In the first lawsuit filed against him due to his article on BirGün, the İstanbul 2nd Penal Court of First Instance ruled that İnce should pay 10,620 TRY damages for "hurting the dignity, honor and reputation of a person" and did not reduce the sentence on the ground that "he did not show repentance."

The İstanbul 2nd Penal Court of First Instance ruled that journalist Barış İnce should be sentenced to 21 months in prison on charge of "insulting the President" with his acrostic statement of defense. After the Supreme Court of Appeals reversed this judgement and the case was heard again, the journalist has now been sentenced to 11 months, 20 days in prison. (AS/SD)