Eylem Sonbahar
A Turkish court has sentenced journalist Onur Öncü to a judicial fine of 1,740 Turkish lira ($55) for "insult" following a complaint filed by Özlem Doğan, Ankara representative of Milat newspaper. The court deferred the announcement of the verdict.
The case, supported by the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), stemmed from an October 10, 2021, social media post by Öncü. The third hearing was held at Istanbul’s 29th Criminal Court of First Instance, where Öncü was tried for alleged insult against Doğan.
Öncü did not attend the hearing, but his lawyer, Hazal Sümeli, was present. The prosecutor, reiterating the final opinion submitted on March 6, argued that Öncü’s post constituted an insult against the complainant and demanded a sentence.
'The post falls within the scope of criticism'
In response, Öncü’s lawyer defended that the legal elements of the crime had not been met. "My client has been a journalist since 2010. During this time, he has been subjected to numerous insults and criticisms on social media but has never filed a complaint. These types of insult lawsuits have become a means of financial gain for certain individuals. Since my client is a journalist, his freedom of expression should be interpreted more broadly than that of ordinary individuals. The post in question falls within the scope of criticism. We request his acquittal," she argued.
Despite the defense, the court sentenced Öncü to a judicial fine of 1,740 lira for insult and deferred the announcement of the verdict.
Background
The case originated from an October 10, 2021, social media post by Özlem Doğan. She had shared an old video on Twitter (now X), commenting: "While trying to provoke an awards ceremony, [actress] Nihal Yalçın from Dersim was gently reminded of the time by Tamer Karadağlı. When asked what her last tweet would be, she replied, ‘Freedom for Selahattin Demirtaş’"—referring to the imprisoned Kurdish politician.
In response to Doğan’s post, Öncü commented: "This person who has 'journalist' in their profile is a complete charlatan. You sly hitman." This led to a criminal indictment against him for "insult via a written, verbal, or visual communication," with prosecutors arguing that there was sufficient suspicion to justify a public prosecution.
