Columnist Yılmaz Özdil handed prison sentence for insulting defense minister

Özdil and Akar

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Yılmaz Özdil, a columnist for daily Sözcü, has been sentenced to five months in prison for his remarks about Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar.

During a program on Halk TV on November 10, 2017, Özdil made comments about the importance of merit in state institutions, comparing the current administration to the early years of the Republic.

"In that period, Atatürk [the founder of the Republic] headed the chief of general staff. Now, God forbid, I wouldn't even go out with Hulusi Akar, let alone a war," he had said.

After the program, Akar filed a complaint against the columnist, accusing him of "provocative insults aimed at destroying confidence in commanders," according to Sözcü.

A lawsuit was then filed against Özdil for violating the Military Penal Law at the Ankara 3rd Penal Court of First Instance. He was facing six months to three years in prison.

Appearing before the court in the previous hearings, Özdil denied the allegations, saying that "When the speech I made is viewed as a whole, it is seen that it is a speech where I emphasize the importance of merit in the state. It is not a speech targeting Hulusi Akar. rather than harming the subordinate-superior relationship, it is a speech I try to explain the importance of the General Staff."

"I did not insult [Akar's] superiority in my speech; on the contrary, I emphasized the importance of this position. I even explained it with examples from Atatürk, İsmet İnönü [Atatürk's predecessor], and Fevzi Çakmak [Turkey's first chief of general staff].

"We have experienced and seen what could happen if those in these positions do not have the necessary competence. The most recent example of this is the coup attempt on July 15 [2016]."

Announcing its opinion as to the accusations, the prosecutor's office requested a prison sentence for Özdil, stating that his remarks exceeded the limits of freedom of expression.

The court ruled that the columnist's comments were "insulting and deriding actions that directed towards damaging the subordinate-superior relations and destroying the confidence in chiefs or commanders" and sentenced him to five months in prison. (HA/VK)