The court deferred the sentence considering her attitude and behavior during the trial

CANSU PİŞKİN, ISTANBUL

The fourth hearing in the trial of BirGün newspaper writer Gözde Bedeloğlu on the charge of “insulting a public official" upon the complaint by MHP MP Sermet Atay was held at the İstanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance on 12 November 2024.

The hearing was monitored by P24 and the lawyers of the parties were present. Bedeloğlu did not attend the hearing. 

The prosecutor repeated their final opinion on the case presented at the hearing on 22 February 2024 and demanded that Bedeloğlu be sentenced on the grounds that the legal elements of the crime of “insult” were formed. The lawyer of the participant Sermet Atay also demanded that the journalist be convicted. 

Bedeloğlu's lawyer Tolgay Güvercin said, “The article subject to the indictment does not aim to inform. It is a statement of opinion. There is no concrete fact attribution. It is a column about personal opinions. It is an article within the scope of criticism and freedom of expression.” Güvercin stated that the elements of the impugned crime did not form and asked for his client's acquittal. 

The court sentenced Bedeloğlu to a judicial fine of TL 7,080 on the grounds that she committed the crime of “insult.” The court deferred the sentence considering her attitude and behavior during the trial.