An Adana court has ordered access blocked to 217 news reports and social media posts about a doctor's detention after their dispute with a prosecutor at the hospital.
The Adana 16th Civil Court of First Instance issued the order at prosecutor Mehmet Bülbül’s request. The blocked content includes reports by bianet and several other news organizations.
Bülbül argued that the material in the URLs covered by his application was “untrue” and violated his personal rights, as well as his “honor and reputation.” He asked the court to order the content removed and access blocked.
The court reviewed the request under Articles 24 and 25 of the Turkish Civil Code, which concern the protection of personal rights, and granted it. It also notified the Association of Access Providers (ESB) to enforce the decision and asked to be informed once the order had been implemented.
The Constitutional Court issued a pilot ruling in 2024 on access-blocking and content-removal orders. It found Article 9 of Law No. 5651, which allowed news reports and social media posts to be restricted on the grounds of violating personal rights, unconstitutional and annulled it.
The Adana court therefore based its decision on the Turkish Civil Code.
The ruling lists 217 URLs across 116 different domain names. AMP and mobile versions of the same reports, as well as some duplicate links, appear as separate URLs.
The order also covers some content and posts on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, X, Dailymotion and Ekşi Sözlük. The URL list makes up most of the nine-page ruling.
Two reports published by bianet’s English service are included in the order.
bianet’s Turkish-language reports on the same incident had already been blocked under a separate access restriction issued in April.
Background
In 2021, while serving as a prosecutor in Osmaniye, Mehmet Bülbül had a dispute with orthopedic doctor Kemal Gökhan Günel at Osmaniye State Hospital over a medical examination.
After Günel refused to examine Bülbül because he did not have an appointment, the doctor was detained and later gave a statement to prosecutors.
After the incident became public, then-Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gül authorized the Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK) to examine Bülbül’s conduct. Health Minister Fahrettin Koca also spoke with Günel by phone.
Prosecutors later decided not to pursue a case against Bülbül, while Günel was charged with “insulting a public official.” (HA/VK)
