RABİA ÇETİN
A 73-year-old woman, identified as M.V., has been fined for allegedly insulting former AKP MP Ravza Kavakçı in a Facebook comment. The case arose after M.V. commented on a 2022 news post titled “Kavakçı sisters’ scandal grows: Theses found to be identical,” which claimed that Kavakçı’s Ph.D. thesis at Howard University in Washington, D.C. was similar to a thesis by her sister, Merve Kavakçı.
In her defense at the Istanbul Anadolu 50th Criminal Court of First Instance, M.V. stated, “The social media account is mine, but I only made a critical comment. The issue was widely discussed at the time. I had no intention of insulting anyone; I was simply commenting as a concerned citizen.” Despite this, the prosecutor recommended her punishment under articles 125/2, 125/4, and 53 of the Turkish Penal Code.
The court found that M.V.’s words, including “qualified frauds, their merit is brazenness,” were insulting to Kavakçı’s “honor, dignity, and reputation.” M.V. was convicted under the Turkish Penal Code but the court converted the sentence into a fine and deferred the announcement of the verdict, meaning the sentence will not be enforced unless there is a repeat offense.
