Journalist faces lawsuit for reports on 'abusive father'

"Child absue is a crime" (Photo: csgorselarsiv.org)

Click to read the article in Turkish / Kurdish

Bianet editor Evrim Kepenek is facing a lawsuit for "insult" after a complaint by Refik Y., who was arrested for abusing his 6-year-old child and was later released on probation.

Kepenek wrote three news reports on the events titled, "Court gives custody of child to 'abusive' father," "Father arrested for 'abusing' his child," and "Father who 'abused' his child released on probation."

While he was in prison, Refik Y. filed a complaint against Kepenek for insult and violation of privacy. Kepenek gave a statement during the investigation in August. A case has been filed after the investigation.

In his petition of complaint, Refik Y. claimed that his spouse Nazlı U. slandered him to get custody of the child after their divorce.

Stating that his personal rights were damaged because of the reports in question, Refik Y. filed a complaint against three people, Aslı T., Gülten T. and Soner S., as well, for their social media posts about the issue.

The prosecution accepted the complaint as there was no final court ruling that Refik Y. had been found guilty of committing the alleged acts.

Noting that Kepenek's report was published on the internet, the prosecution excluded the case from the scope of the Press Law as it is applicable only to print publications.

The trial is expected to start in the coming months.

"A father's arrest for abuse is news"

A father's arrest for abusing his child is newsworthy "anywhere in the world," said Kepenek.

"As a journalist, I added information in the court minutes and reports," she noted. "My intention was not to insult anyone but to inform the public. I stand by my reports."

"I wouldn't like to become a talking point as a sued journalist, but I'd like to be a journalist who can find solutions to problems of women and children with her reports. This is what my journalism is based on. I hope we'll witness days when not journalists but perpetrators stand trial."

(HA/VK)