Eylem Sonbahar
Journalist İsmail Arı defended himself in court against charges of "insult" and "slander" in a case filed by Levent Uysal, a lawmaker from Turkey’s far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and founder of the Nişantaşı Education Foundation. Arı argued that reporting on politicians benefiting from public tenders is a journalist’s duty.
The second hearing of the case was held at Istanbul’s 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance, with Arı attending alongside his lawyer, Tolgay Güvercin. Uysal’s attorney, Ferhat Pamuk, was also present.
Arı began his defense by criticizing what he described as ongoing judicial harassment: "The other party is a member of parliament and has immunity. Yet, I had to testify again just yesterday. I am persistently subjected to judicial harassment. In his complaint, Levent Uysal claimed that I am ‘funded’ and ‘not a journalist.’ However, I carry a press card issued by the Presidency of Turkey."
‘All of these have news value’
Referring to a news report titled MHP lawmaker seizes land worth a fortune, which was included in the indictment, Arı said, "If a politician wins a public tender, it is a journalist’s duty to report on it."
Continuing his defense, he mentioned another article published in BirGün newspaper on March 11, 2024, titled MHP lawmaker is a Serbian citizen, arguing that a politician obtaining foreign citizenship is a matter of public interest.
Regarding a February 15, 2024, report titled They rewarded fraud, which alleged that Uysal attempted to secure a loan in Switzerland using falsified documents on behalf of Turkey’s state-owned Vakıfbank, Arı stated: "The document was proven to be forged. There are also emails from Vakıfbank. The original document is in English, but it has a notarized translation. It was presented as a letter of guarantee."
‘Every report I wrote about this politician led to a lawsuit’
Emphasizing that all his reports were of public interest, Arı said, "The other party is a publicly known figure. Every report I wrote about this politician led to a lawsuit. I believe this will go down in the history of journalism."
Arı’s lawyer, Güvercin, supported his client's statements and said he would respond after the prosecutor’s final opinion on the case.
Meanwhile, Uysal’s attorney, Pamuk, requested that notarized translations of the relevant documents be submitted to the case file. He also asked, "The defendant published my client’s passport. Can he explain where he obtained it?"
Arı refused to disclose his source, stating, "I published an image of the passport, but I did not share any personal information. The investigation launched over this matter was dismissed."
Pamuk reiterated that his client’s complaints stood and formally requested to join the case as an intervening party.
The prosecutor suggested a five-minute recess to prepare the final opinion. However, the judge decided to wait for the requested documents before proceeding. Arı requested additional time to consult with his lawyer about submitting the documents.
The court accepted the request for more time and granted Uysal’s lawyer’s request to join the case, citing potential harm to his client. The next hearing was scheduled for July 10 at 2:30 p.m.
