Milliyet Daily News journalist Kemal Göktaş, reflecting prosecutor’s indictment related to the incident of torture of a female in İzmir Karabağlar Police Station as a “scandal” in his news, have been put on trial.
In his news titled “Not Torture but Anger”, journalist expressed “Prosecutor finds the female guilty not the torturer police. 8 years of prison sentence to the battered woman, a year of prison sentence to each police.” Thereupon, trial prosecutor of torture case, Prosecutor Göksel Er made an allegation to Chief Public Prosecutor of İstanbul.
I have revealed the torture, even experts have been punished
An investigation has been launched against the journalist on suspicion of “insulting the public officer” and “attempting to affect the person who is performing jurisdiction”. After giving a statement to the public prosecutor on September 29, the journalist refused to give testimony with instructions. He was at İstanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance to plead.
Göktaş who had the right to speak on trial stated that he revealed the torture case of the female with the photographs, thereby they hidden the case in their reports and even experts were sued for evoking legal action for police due to actual bodily harm instead of torturing and were sentenced.
A TGC prized news on trial
Journalist explained that on June 5 of 2014, trial prosecutor Er commented that policemen performed actual bodily harm under unjust provocation, female victim insulted the policemen constantly and resisted them so the prosecutor gave the sentence.
Stating that he was o trial due to his TGC (Turkish Journalists Association) prized news Göktaş said “I reported the prosecutor’s comment as news. This news is completely accordant with freedom of press. I fulfilled my duty as a journalist in regard to a crime, torture, against the humanity according to universal declaration of human rights. The news is totally real and I don’t intend to insult the prosecutor.”
“I miscalculated”
Journalist reminded that he miscalculated the sentences that complainant wanted for policemen and said “I have written that 8 years and 9 months total. I miscalculated. Total sentences are between 2 years and a month and 9 years and 4 months.”
Accusing a journalist of affecting the judgment…
“As it has been stated in the decisions of European Court of Human Rights, I made news within the limits of freedom of press. Accusing a journalist of affecting the judgment is totally same with accusing a judge of judging, accusing a lawyer of defensing and accusing a cleaner of cleaning. Participating this kind of expression in indictment means that prosecution department has been affected by political rhetoric.”
“I don’t want the postponement of my sentence if there will be”
Journalist declares his immediate decision of acquittal and refuses the postponement of his sentence in case there will be a punishment.
Recording the journalist’s statement, Court’s Judge Gönül Doğan approved the complainant Er’s acceptance to case and trials in case of getting harm due to crime. It has been decided that the lawsuit will be inspected because of the changes of the Judges.
İzmir 6th High Criminal Court prosecutor Er, sentenced female victim to imprisonment for eight years while the journalist who made news about a year sentence for each police and the decision of acquittal for another police will be on trial on April 14. (EÖ/BD)
* Click here to read the article in Turkish.
