A court has blocked access to a bianet report that examined Barzan Holding, a Qatari defense company, in connection with its sponsorship of a defense and weapons fair recently held in Azerbaijan.
The report titled "Partner of Qatari company is from Turkey" detailed Barzan Holding’s investments in Turkey. Turkish drone manufacturer BAYKAR, Israeli defense firm IAI, and Barzan Holding were the main sponsors of the fair. BAYKAR is led by Selçuk Bayraktar, the son-in-law of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The involvement of these firms at the event drew criticism, particularly given Turkey’s strong public condemnation of Israel's military actions.
Barzan Holding, which is affiliated with Qatar's Defense Ministry, carries out its investments in Turkey through Barer Holding, a subsidiary based in İstanbul. On Oct 7, Barer Holding filed a legal request with the İstanbul 5th Penal Judgeship of Peace to remove the bianet article, arguing that it damaged the company’s reputation. Judge Günseli Özçelik Yıldız ruled in favor of the company on Oct 8, blocking access to the report and ordering the content to be removed.
The decision was made under Article 9 of Turkey’s Internet Law (Law No. 5651), which allows for the removal of content deemed to violate personal rights. The court found that the report contained “expressions and statements that target the applicant and negatively affect its commercial reputation,” leading to the ruling that it infringed on the company’s personal rights.
Constitutional Court ruling
The ruling comes despite a January decision by the Constitutional Court, which declared Article 9 unconstitutional. The court gave the parliament 10 months to draft a replacement law, with the article set to expire on Oct 10, just two days after this ruling.
The bianet report provided details on Barzan Holding’s history and its investments in Turkey, including its ownership of 70% of Barer Holding. Barzan Holding was founded in 2016 and operates under Qatar’s Defense Ministry. The company’s headquarters in Turkey are in Sarıyer, İstanbul, and its key Turkish partners include companies like Aselsan and Nurol Makina.
The report also shed light on Barer Holding co-founder Oktay Ercan, who has had a long business history in Africa. Ercan was linked to the former Sudanese government under President Omar al-Bashir, and at one point held Sudanese citizenship. Ercan left Sudan after al-Bashir’s ousting in 2019, later establishing businesses in Turkey, Malta, the UAE, Belgium, and Luxembourg. His close ties to Sudan’s military and alleged involvement in corruption scandals were also mentioned in the report. (VK)
