Rabia Çetin
Onur Öncü, a journalist facing charges for "publicly insulting the memory of a deceased person" due to his social media post about Taner Ay, whose name surfaced in the disclosures of fugitive gang leader Sedat Peker, stated, "I shared information as part of journalism and freedom of expression."
Defended by the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), Öncü gave his statement today (June 4, 2024) via videoconference at Küçükçekmece 19th Criminal Court of First Instance, as part of a trial initiated at Ankara 7th Criminal Court of First Instance.
Regarding the social media post in question, Öncü explained in his defense, "The information I shared about Taner Ay, who lived in the same region as I did in Germany, was consistent with news reports in both German and Turkish media. I made these posts within the scope of journalistic activity and freedom of expression. I did not intend to insult a deceased person."
Fatih Aydın, a lawyer from MLSA's Legal Unit, stated, "My client is a Turkish journalist who has been working in Germany for many years. The complainants’ child and my client were both living in Solingen, Germany. Therefore, my client had information about the individual in question as part of his profession. His posts are within the scope of journalism, the public's right to information, and freedom of expression. We request the immediate acquittal of our client."
The court decided to send the record of the statement taken via videoconference to the Ankara 7th Criminal Court of First Instance, which is authorized to hear the case.
