Sabah newspaper columnist Hıncal Uluç was sentenced to pay TL 20,000 (€10,000) in compensation on the grounds of his article entitled "What kind of neighbourhood pressure" published only a few days after the untimely death of Turkish-American TV host and actress Defne Joy Foster. The journalist was sued by Foster's family.
Court President Nesrin Merih Göçer from the Istanbul 5th Civil Court of First Instance decided:
"The article written by defendant Hıncal Uluç was published on 4 February 2011 only two days after [Foster's] death in the time of the greatest grief".
"In the article on subject, a moral enquiry was done by saying that Defne Joy Foster, married with one child, died in the house of another man. By writing that 'she fell on her own sword' it was implied that she permanently lead this kind of life and her whole past was taken under suspicion".
"However, private life is confidential. There is no need to share and discuss the private life of a deceased well known person and her moral values in public in this way".
"Given the seniority of professional experience, the defendant writer should have thought about hurting the feelings of Foster's husband and her mother with the expressions he used for her in the article".
"Despite expressing concern about what the father was going to tell his 18-month-old son about his mother if he asked him to do so, as a matter of fact for the baby this article is one of the gravest documents left related to his mother".
Judge Göçer pointed out that sentences like 'Let's ask the rascal why he brought a married woman with a child to his home' were discriminating expressions that played the incident down. The judge concluded that Foster had been humiliated by the Uluç's article.
The journalist is to pay a TL 10,000 (€ 5,000) each to Foster's widowed husband and her mother. Columnist Uluç can appeal the decision within 14 days after the notification of the ruling. (IC/VK)
