Journalist Ruşen Takva has been acquitted in the Hakkâri trial where he faced charges of 'spreading misleading information to the public.' The decision was based on the grounds that the legal elements of the crime did not exist.
The second hearing of Takva's trial was held yesterday at Hakkâri 1st Court of First Instance.
The Hakkâri Chief Public Prosecutor's Office had brought charges against Takva under Article 217/A of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), alleging that he had disseminated misleading information through a social media post regarding an armed attack involving MHP provincial chair Fatih Özbek.
During the hearing, the prosecutor presented arguments for Takva's sentencing. Takva, participating via the Audio and Video Information System (SEGBİS), defended his social media posts as journalistic activities and requested his acquittal. He emphasized that he had simply fulfilled his professional duty by reporting information received from his sources about the incident, denying any wrongdoing.
Takva's defense lawyer, Burcu Şeber, rejected the prosecution's arguments and highlighted his client's accolades as a respected journalist, both nationally and internationally. Şeber argued that the trial revolved around professional activities and asserted that Takva had acted to protect the complainant in his series of Twitter posts on the day of the incident, without causing any public disturbance. As a result, the defense requested Takva's acquittal.
In his final statement, Takva expressed regret over being charged for practicing journalism. Ultimately, the court acquitted him, determining that the social media post in question did not meet the legal criteria for the alleged crime.
Background:
In December 2022, journalist Ruşen Takva shared an allegation on his Twitter account (now X Platform) that Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) provincial chair Fatih Özbek was involved in a shooting incident in Hakkâri and that Özbek's bodyguard İsmail Aslan, a relative of Özbek, had surrendered.
In the tweet, Takva wrote: "After the Hakkâri MHP provincial chairman allegedly shot a person in the middle of the city center with a gun, the city center became chaotic and shopkeepers closed their shutters. After the incident, both the relative and close bodyguard of the MHP provincial chairman surrendered saying 'I shot him'. The investigation is ongoing," he wrote.
