EYLEM SONBAHAR
Journalist Furkan Karabay has been sentenced to one year and 15 days in prison for "defamation" in a case filed by President Erdoğan’s former lawyer, Mustafa Doğan İnal. The court decided not to convict Karabay for "insult."
The third hearing of the case, initiated by Mustafa Doğan İnal's complaint, took place at the Istanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance. Karabay was charged with "defamation" and "insult" following a news story published on the Gerçek Gündem website on April 19, 2023. The article, titled "Why did Muhammed Yakut threaten Erdoğan’s lawyer Mustafa Doğan İnal? Indictment issued in armed attack involving FETÖ Stock Market allegations," led to the legal action.
Karabay attended the hearing with his lawyer Enes Hikmet Ermaner. The prosecution reiterated its initial opinion from February 29, 2024, calling for Karabay to be punished for "repeated defamation" and "repeated public insult." İnal's lawyer, Emre Ramazan Atasoy, supported this request.
In his defense, Karabay denied the defamation charges, asserting that he was conveying concrete information to the public. His lawyer, Ermaner, argued that the conditions for defamation were not met and requested acquittal.
The court sentenced Karabay to one year and 15 days for defamation but decided not to issue a ruling on the insult charge. The sentence was suspended on the grounds that the court believed "the defendant is unlikely to commit another crime."
