President Erdoğan’s son-in-law Selçuk Bayraktar files a compensation lawsuit against journalist Şirin Payzın and Halk TV, claiming “his personal rights were damaged and he was insulted”

Selçuk Bayraktar, a son-in-law of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the CTO of drone maker Baykar, have filed a compensation lawsuit against journalist Şirin Payzın and Halk TV, seeking TL 150,000 in non-pecuniary damage.

The lawsuit stems from the questions asked by Şirin Payzın to Ahmet Kamil Erozan, a former ambassador and a deputy of the opposition İYİ Party, who attended as a guest to Payzın’s TV show “Sözüm Var” that aired on Halk TV on 16 February 2022. The questions concerned the reported sale of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) manufactured by Baykar to the United Arab Emirates during President Erdoğan’s recent state visit there. She asked: “What kind of a deal is Erdoğan’s son-of-law making here? What kind of promises are being made? What is the extent of this deal, and where does it stand with regard to the Israel-the United Arab Emirates relationship? What kind of promises are made about the future sales from the Turkey Wealth Fund? Do you, as İYİ Party, have any information regarding any of that? In your professional career as a diplomat, have you ever witnessed a case where some goods from one’s son-in-law’s company is brokered into a deal during a state visit?”

“His personal rights were damaged”

The complaint lodged by Bayraktar’s lawyers with İstanbul’s Bakırköy 7th Criminal Court of First Instance argued that “Bayraktar’s personal rights were damaged and he was insulted as a result of false news.” The complaint read:

“In the program, it was stated, without any concrete basis, that this sale was to be made from the Wealth Fund, thereby creating the public perception that the client was landing a sale of UAVs-UCAVs by using the state’s resources or the state’s funds, and attacking the client’s honor and dignity through statements that would bring the client under suspicion even though the sale transaction had no connection with the Wealth Fund. They deliberately attempted to cover these accusations as questions. Despite the fact that Baykar, where the client is the CTO, is not in the portfolio of the Turkey Wealth Fund, and has no connection to the Wealth Fund, the defendants wanted to create the perception that the client was abusing the state resources through such statements disguised as questions.”

The complaint claimed that the questions asked by Payzın during the TV show “would not be compatible with freedom of expression and the press,” and that UAVs were in high demand not due to the personal relations of the CTO, but thanks to their accomplishments. The complaint stated: “The slander and defamation intent in the content of the program is manifestly obvious so as to leave no room for doubt or to be explained away with any form of freedom. The client’s achievements are recognized by everyone and the UAVs, which are developed and can fly using scientific principles such as aerodynamic forces and instrumental principles, etc., are in high demand from other states not because of the kinship between Selçuk Bayraktar and the President, but due to their success.”

The complaint argued that while the Turkish Constitution safeguarded free press, freedom of the press was not unlimited. “In fulfilling their function of public interest, both print and visual media should consider especially the accuracy of their outputs, the social interest and the actuality of the subject matter, and maintain the balance between the substance and form while reporting the news,” the complaint continued, “Again, the press should operate within objective limits.”

The complaint also stated that the compensation to be obtained from the case would be provided as a scholarship fund to children of the families of the fallen soldiers.

Selçuk Bayraktar is also the founding chairman of the Turkey Technology Team (T3) Foundation that filed a compensation lawsuit against journalist Çiğdem Toker over a news article she penned in 2019, which was partially accepted by the relevant court last week. The court ordered Toker to pay the T3 Foundation TL 30,000 in respect of non-pecuniary damage.

Following the verdict, Bayraktar publicly targeted Toker, calling the veteran journalist “a sorry excuse for a journalist.” Bayraktar’s statements were condemned by journalism organizations.