ISTANBUL, June 25, 2024 (Eylem Sonbahar) - The defamation and insult cases against journalist Furkan Karabay, initiated by complaints from President Erdoğan's son Bilal Erdoğan and former lawyer Mustafa Doğan İnal, have been consolidated into a single case. This decision was made based on the argument that the alleged offenses constituted a single act of insulting multiple individuals.
Istanbul Anadolu Chief Public Prosecutor İsmail Uçar had previously filed a petition to the Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK) alleging that access bans and release orders were being issued for money at the Anadolu courthouse. On November 2, 2023, Karabay shared on X Platform (formerly Twitter) that Mustafa Doğan İnal, Bilal Erdoğan, and Metin Güneş were regulars at the courthouse. He claimed that Judge Sidar Demiroğlu, who was accused of "selling justice" for money, had covered up a bloody incident involving İnal and Güneş.
Bilal Erdoğan subsequently filed a complaint, leading to Karabay facing charges of "insult" and "defamation." The second hearing of this case was held at the Istanbul 47th Criminal Court of First Instance, without the presence of Bilal Erdoğan and his lawyer. Karabay's attorney, Özge Naz Akkaya, attended the session.
The prosecution requested that this case be combined with another case at the Istanbul 5th Criminal Court of First Instance, where Karabay faces similar charges from Mustafa Doğan İnal’s complaint. Both cases are based on the same social media posts.
The court, agreeing that the posts constituted a single act of insulting multiple individuals, decided to merge the cases into one proceeding at the Istanbul 5th Criminal Court of First Instance.
