ELİF AKGÜL
Merdan Yanardağ, editor-in-chief of the Turkish broadcaster TELE1, has been acquitted of charges of “insulting the Turkish nation, the Republic of Turkey, and the institutions and organs of the state” in a high-profile case closely watched by press freedom advocates.
In the third hearing of the case held on Sept. 25 at Istanbul’s 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance, the panel of judges ruled that the “legal elements of the alleged crime had not been established,” and acquitted Yanardağ of all charges.
The charges stemmed from a column Yanardağ wrote titled “The mafia-ization of the regime,” which was published in the left-leaning daily BirGün on May 23, 2021. In his piece, Yanardağ criticized what he described as the growing entanglement of organized crime networks with state institutions.
In an earlier trial, Yanardağ was sentenced to seven years and 15 days in prison. However, an appeals court overturned the verdict and ordered a retrial, resulting in his eventual acquittal this week.
According to court records, the judges determined that the article did not contain elements constituting a criminal offense under the relevant law prohibiting insults against the state or its institutions.
The court also ordered that Yanardağ’s legal fees—amounting to TL 30,000 (approximately $1,100)—be paid from the state treasury. In addition, all court expenses will also be covered by the treasury.
The written reasoning for the ruling will be issued at a later date. The acquittal is open to appeal under Turkish law.
