Avşar was on trial for reporting on Sedat Peker’s claims for Yeniçağ newspaper’s website

CANSU PİŞKİN, İSTANBUL

The fourth hearing in the trial of Yeniçağ newspaper Managing Editor Erdem Avşar on charges of “defamation” and “insult” over a complaint filed by the Turkuvaz Media Group Vice President of the Board of Directors Serhat Albayrak was held at the İstanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance on 26 March 2024.

Avşar and lawyers for the parties were present at the hearing, which P24 monitored.

The prosecutor had requested sentencing for Avşar for “public insult” and repeated “defamation” in their final opinion on the case at the second hearing of the trial on 14 September 2023.

Co-plaintiff Serhat Albayrak’s lawyer requested sentencing for Avşar as per the opinion.

Delivering his defense statement against the prosecutor’s opinion, Avşar said, “The news in question was something that the entire media covered and was of public interest. The reported claims were published without commentary” and requested his acquittal.

Avşar’s lawyer Temel İzzet Köz said “The claims in the news item concerning the co-plaintiff belong to Sedat Peker. My client added no comments to the content of the news item. My client reported on these claims using his constitutional right to the freedom of the press. We request his acquittal.”

The court ruled to acquit Avşar of the crime of “insult” due to the impugned action not having been defined as a crime in the law; and sentenced the journalist to 1 year and 15 days of imprisonment for the crime of “defamation.”

Avşar was tried over the news item titled “27., 28., 29. ve 30. tweetlerin içindeki sır belli oldu: Sedat Peker, Ali Fuat Taşkesenlioğlu’nun Arkasındaki İsmi Açıkladı” (“The secret hidden in tweets 27, 28, 29 and 30 revealed: Sedat Peker Discloses the Person Behind Ali Fuat Taşkesenlioğlu”) which was published on the Yeniçağ newspaper website on 27 August 2022.