Journalist Pınar Gayıp acquitted of 'targeting counterterrorism officials'

Click to read the article in Turkish

Journalist Pınar Gayıp has been acquitted of "marking counterterrorism officials as a target for terror groups." The case was initiated based on a complaint from Lieutenant General Musa Çitil.

Gayıp was put on trial for sharing a news article on social media with the comment: "Musa O. must have been inspired by Musa Çitil to commit this crime." Musa O., a specialist sergeant, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for sexually assaulting İpek Er. Er had committed suicide after being subjected to sexual assault.

Gayıp participated in the trial at the İstanbul 25th Heavy Penal Court via videoconference.

During the trial, Gayıp defended her statement, saying, "Musa O. sexually assaulted İpek Er, keeping her captive for two weeks, and he was subsequently dismissed from the military. Numerous news reports were published at the time regarding this matter. The report I shared also refers to Musa O.'s crimes in the region, indicating that despite his conviction, he was promoted. My quotation aligns with this fact."

Denying the charges, Gayp asserted, "Musa Çitil abused his authority by committing at least 13 cases of torture and sexual assault in the region. These were proven, and Çitil was sentenced. The European Court of Human Rights convicted Turkey twice for Çitil's crimes. Therefore, this is not an allegation. I am a journalist, and my posts fall under the umbrella of freedom of expression and thought."

The prosecutor at the trial also stated that Gayıp did not commit the alleged offense and recommended her acquittal.

What happened?

İpek Er had filed a complaint with the Siirt Chief Public Prosecutor's Office on July 7, 2020, alleging that specialist sergeant Musa O. had sexually assaulted her, leading to her suicide. Musa O. was first dismissed from civil service. He was tried without arrest at the Siirt 1st Heavy Penal Court. On December 3, 2021, he was sentenced to the lowest term of 10 years in prison for "aggravated sexual assault." Musa O. is not currently in prison, as he is subject to judicial control measures.

During the incident, journalist Yağmur Kaya from Artı Gerçek conducted an interview with rights advocate Eren Keskin, during which Keskin stated that law enforcement agencies used sexual abuse and sexual violence as a war policy, citing past instances such as the 1993 case of Ş.E., who was sexually assaulted by law enforcement officers in Mardin. In that case, Musa Çitil and 405 soldiers under his command stood trial.

Pınar Gayıp quoted this news article and stated, "Musa O. must have been inspired by Musa Çitil to commit this crime."

Musa Çitil also filed complaints against Kaya and Ahmet Kanbal, a journalist who shared the interview on Twitter. Ahmet Kanbal was initially sentenced to 1 year and 3 months in prison but was acquitted after the appellate court overturned the verdict. Yağmur Kaya's trial is still ongoing. (VC/VK)