Caricaturist On Trial For Criticizing The Chief Prosecutor Of The Supreme Court

The 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance began hearing the case of İbrahim Özdabak, the caricaturist for the newspaper Yeni Asya, who is on trial for satirizing Abdurrahman Yalçınkaya, Prosecutor of the Supreme Court of Appeals, by drawing him as an “owl wearing a cloak.” Yalçınkaya was the prosecutor in the AKP closure case.

Özdabak is accused of insulting the prosecutor under article 125 of the Penal Code with his caricature in which the owl wearing a cloak goes “goog, goog, goog.”

It was a funny and critical caricature

Arriving at the court with his lawyers Kadir Akbaş and Turgut İnal today (September 26), Özdabak stated that it was his first time being prosecuted in his 25 years of journalism.

He said, “Caricature is part of  the art of drawing. People and incidents are criticized through humor. It is a way of expressing what can not be said or written, way of using freedom of expression.”

“Those who are part of the judiciary can be criticized, too. One should be able to criticize anybody and any institution in a democratic society and in a state where the law rules.”

Akbaş: It should be seen within the context of the freedom of expression

Özdabak said he had not intended to commit crime and asked for his acquittal.

His lawyer Akbaş stated that this case should be seen within the context of the freedom of expression. The court decided to continue the case on December 5. (EÖ/EÜ)