EYLEM SONBAHAR
Journalist Furkan Karabay faces legal action for tweets allegedly targeting Deputy Justice Ministers Akın Gürlek and Hasan Yılmaz, along with Constitutional Court Member İrfan Fidan. Prosecutors are seeking a jail term for Karabay, ranging from three months to two years.
The charges stem from Karabay's comments on his Twitter account (now X Platform) regarding a Presidential Decree announced on June 22, related to deputy ministerial appointments. The official investigation into these tweets has now concluded.
Karabay's posts criticized İrfan Fidan of the Constitutional Court, as well as newly appointed Deputy Justice Ministers Akın Gürlek and Hasan Yılmaz. The prosecutor claims these 27 tweets surpassed the limits of press freedom and freedom of expression.
The posts, which the indictment suggests were influenced by the public roles of Gürlek, Yılmaz, and Fidan, could potentially "harm the victims' honor and reputation," the prosecutor argued.
Highlighting the wide reach and visibility of social media, the prosecutor labeled Karabay's tweets as a continuous series of offenses.
The prosecutor's stance is that Karabay's alleged insults, directed at public figures due to their roles, warrant a prison sentence between three months to two years.
The initial hearing for the case has been scheduled for January 17, 2024, by the Ankara 16th Criminal Court of First Instance.
