Journalists convicted over reporting on bribery allegations against Erdoğan's former lawyer

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Two journalists have received prison sentence for reporting on bribery allegations against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's former lawyer.

The case against the former editor-in-chief of the İleri Haber news portal, Doğan Ergün, and its current editor-in-chief, İzel Sezer, was opened upon the complaint of lawyer Mustafa Doğan İnal

The sixth hearing of the trial, held at the 33rd Penal Court of First Instance in Çağlayan, was attended by Ergün, Sezer, and their lawyers.

Before the hearing, the court announced that the motion for disqualification of the judge, requested by the lawyer Özgür Urfa on behalf of Sezer and Ergün in the previous session, had been rejected by the İstanbul 2nd Heavy Penal Court.

The prosecutor in the trial demanded punishment for Sezer and Ergün on charges of "open insult," "unlawful disclosure of data obtained by recording non-public conversations through the press and media," and "libel."

In their individual defenses against the charges, Sezer and Ergün stated that the news in question was made in accordance with journalistic principles and emphasized that it fell within the scope of freedom of expression.

Sezer said, "I hope today we will see a legal decision rather than a political one," while Ergün stated, "The conversations are not only about corruption allegations but also involve pressuring independent courts to protect the rights of a foreign company. I believe the case will be concluded in accordance with the law."

Urfa, the lawyer representing the journalists, argued, "Investigations against Mustafa Doğan İnal are newsworthy worldwide due to his role as the lawyer of the President." He also stated that it is not a crime to report on information that has become public.

Following a recess, the court announced its verdict, acquitting Sezer and Ergün of the charges of "insult" and "libel" but sentencing them separately to 1 year and 8 months in prison for "unlawful disclosure of data obtained by recording non-public conversations through the press and media." The court suspended the sentences for both journalists.

"We will continue to stand up for the truth"

After the journalists received the prison sentence, they made a statement outside the courthouse. Sezer said that there was no legal decision in the case and added, "The allegations we reported have news value everywhere in the world. Unfortunately, today marks a black stain on Turkey's press freedom history. The Palace regime is trying to create a profile of journalists who only praise it. They are trying to intimidate all journalists who report against them through detentions, lawsuits, and investigations."

Sezer also noted that the trial of journalist Sezgin Kartal, who was arrested on January 10 and will be held on June 22, will take place and said, "As journalists who work to fulfill a public duty by adhering to principles, we will stand up for the truth, for the people's freedom to receive and disseminate news, and we will continue to stand up for them."

RSF: The verdict is a denial of journalism

Erol Önderoğlu, the Representative of Reporters Without Borders (RSF) in Turkey, expressed his reaction, saying, "Journalists resort to private data to prove a crime. Sentencing Doğan Ergün and İzel Sezer based on the complaint of Erdoğan's former lawyer İnal is denial of journalism. 'There is no libel, but let's impose a sentence based on private data' logic is wrong!"

What happened?

In their book "Cendere" journalists Barış Terkoğlu and Barış Pehlivan claimed that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's former lawyer, Mustafa Doğan İnal, engaged in bribery negotiations.

At that time, Ahmet Şık, who was an independent member of parliament and currently an İstanbul deputy for the Turkey Workers' Party (TİP), shared the recording of the alleged bribery negotiation on Twitter.

İleri Haber reported on Şık's tweets as "allegations" on December 2 and 16, 2020. However, Mustafa Doğan İnal filed a complaint regarding the news.

As a result, Doğan Ergün and İzel Sezer were charged with "open insult," "unlawful disclosure of data obtained by recording non-public conversations through the press and media," and "libel."

The indictment claimed that İnal's "honor, dignity, and reputation within society" were harmed.

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(HA/VK)