Deniz Tekin
Journalist Naci Sapan, who was accused of "insult" over an opinion piece about an alleged corruption case in the trustee-run Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality, appeared in court for a retrial. Defending his article, Sapan stated, "This article serves as a criminal complaint for prosecutors."
Naci Sapan, the publication coordinator and columnist for Tigris Haber, is facing charges of "insulting public officials acting as a board" over his article titled "Trustees, little trustees!" The trial is being held at Diyarbakır’s 5th Criminal Court of First Instance. Previously, the case was handled through a summary judgment procedure, and Sapan was sentenced to 135 days of judicial fine.
During the hearing, Sapan was present along with his lawyer, Sertaç Eke, and a lawyer representing the trustee administration, who filed the complaint. The trial was also attended by Felat Bozarslan, the head of the Southeastern Journalists' Association, along with other journalists.
In his defense statement, Sapan emphasized that his article did not target any individual or institution with insults, saying, "I wrote this in the public interest. I have been a journalist for 50 years, and there is no insult in my article."
When the prosecutor questioned him about a reference to an "800 million TL land tender" in his article and asked, "Who were you implying?", Sapan responded, "I raised these questions on behalf of the public, but I never received any answers."
His lawyer, Sertaç Eke, argued that the article did not contain any concrete allegations against a specific person, stating, "My client sought to create public awareness about the proper use of public resources. Journalists have a duty to serve the public interest. We demand his acquittal."
However, the lawyer representing the trustee administration maintained the complaint, claiming that Sapan’s article contained severe insults against his clients and that it had deterred potential participants from joining the tender. He demanded Sapan be punished for "severe insult" and "manipulating the tender process."
The court ruled that further information was needed and decided to wait for testimony from Abdullah Çiftçi, who was the deputy governor at the time. It also dropped the decision to take a statement from then-Governor Ali İhsan Su. The next hearing is scheduled for April 17.
Background
Naci Sapan's article, "Trustees, little trustees!", was published on March 29, 2023, during the period when Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality was administered by a government-appointed trustee. The article raised allegations of corruption and irregularities in an 800-million-TL land tender.
Following its publication, members of the tender commission and then-Governor Ali İhsan Su filed a complaint against Sapan. The Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office indicted him on charges of "insulting public officials acting as a board."
Initially, the case was handled through a summary judgment, resulting in a 135-day judicial fine, which was converted into a monetary penalty of 2,700 TL. Sapan was also placed under judicial supervision for five years. However, after an appeal from his lawyer, the case is now being retried in a full hearing.
