EYLEM SONBAHAR
Journalist Onur Öncü is set to go on trial on March 4, 2025, for allegedly "insulting" Milat newspaper's Ankara representative, Özlem Doğan, over a social media post. The charge stems from Öncü’s criticism of Doğan, who had shared a comment about actress Nihal Yalçın's previous remarks regarding imprisoned Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtaş.
The controversy began following the 58th Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival in October 2021, where Nihal Yalçın won the Best Actress Award. During Yalçın's acceptance speech, actor Tamer Karadağlı’s gestures and his interruption by handing her the award drew widespread attention and criticism.
On October 10, 2021, Özlem Doğan tweeted an older video of Yalçın, stating, "While trying to provoke the award ceremony, Dersim-born actress Nihal Yalçın responded 'freedom for Selahattin Demirtaş' to the question 'what would your last tweet be?' Tamer Karadağlı had politely reminded her of the time."
In response, Onur Öncü commented on social media, referring to Doğan as a "charlatan" and "a cunning hitman" despite her profile identifying her as a journalist. As a result of these remarks, an indictment was issued against Öncü for "insulting through a spoken, written, or visual message."
The indictment, accepted by the Istanbul 29th Criminal Court of First Instance, stated that there was sufficient suspicion to warrant a public trial over Öncü’s comments. The trial, with Öncü's defense being provided by the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), will begin on March 4, 2025.
