Eylem Sonbahar
Journalist Merdan Yanardağ has been acquitted of charges of "spreading misleading information to the public" in a case concerning his social media posts about alleged assassination threats against Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the former leader of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and the opposition’s presidential candidate in 2023.
The fifth hearing of the case was held at Istanbul’s 35th Criminal Court of First Instance. The case was based on five social media posts by Yanardağ, who serves as the editor-in-chief of the opposition broadcaster TELE1. The prosecution argued that his posts, which suggested a possible assassination attempt on Kılıçdaroğlu, had the potential to mislead the public and disrupt public order.
Yanardağ did not attend the hearing, but his lawyer, Bilgütay Hakkı Durna, was present. The prosecutor reiterated the final opinion he had presented at the Dec. 10 hearing, arguing that because Yanardağ is a well-known journalist, his posts carried significant weight. The prosecution claimed that the posts could be misleading and, given the importance of the information, could create fear and panic among the public, thereby disturbing public order. The prosecutor sought a conviction for "publicly spreading misleading information."
In response, Yanardağ's lawyer rejected the accusations, stating, "The prosecution’s opinion is abstract and baseless. We request my client’s acquittal."
The court ruled that there was no conclusive and lawful evidence proving that Yanardağ had acted with criminal intent or that he had committed the alleged offense. Due to the lack of definitive proof, the court acquitted Yanardağ of all charges.
