Die Welt reporter Yücel was on trial for a social media post in which he shared a comment about former Istanbul Deputy Chief Public Prosecutor Hasan Yılmaz

CANSU PİŞKİN, ISTANBUL

The final hearing of Die Welt correspondent Deniz Yücel’s trial on the charge of “insulting a public official” (TCK 125) for a Twitter post was held at the Istanbul 24th Criminal Court of First Instance on 8 February 2022. The accusation stemmed from a remark about former Istanbul Deputy Chief Public Prosecutor Hasan Yılmaz, who is currently the deputy minister of justice.

P24 monitored the hearing. Yücel, who lives in Germany, did not attend. He was represented by his lawyers Veysel Ok and Erselan Aktan.

The prosecutor reiterated their final opinion submitted to the court on 30 November 2021, demanding that the court sentence Yücel as charged. The prosecutor argued that the posts shared on Yücel’s Twitter account about the plaintiff Yılmaz “offended the plaintiff’s honor and dignity.”

Recalling judgments by the Supreme Court of Appeals and the Constitutional Court, Yücel’s lawyer Ok said the word “idiot” was not an insult. Ok added: “Despite judgments by high courts, the prosecutor is asking the court to sentence my client for sharing an expression he did not say but was used by another party. There is a Supreme Court of Appeals judgment which holds that the word ‘idiot’ is not an insult. We demand acquittal.”

Lawyer Aktan told the court that the complainant was a public figure due to the investigations he conducted during his work as prosecutor. Recalling Constitutional Court judgments that well-known public figures should tolerate even the harshest criticisms within the scope of freedom of expression, Aktan added: “The complainant is a public figure not only because he is currently Deputy Minister of Justice, but also due to the investigations he conducted during his time as a prosecutor. … The expression that is the subject of this case was made on social media. It contains no intent to humiliate. The legal elements of the alleged crime have not formed. We demand acquittal.”

After hearing the final statements by Yücel’s lawyers, the court delivered its judgment and sentenced the journalist to a judicial fine of TL 7,080. The court did not defer the sentence.