Sevda Aydın
Journalist Sultan Keleş was sentenced to 1 year and 2 months in prison for "insulting the president" in a retrial ordered by Turkey’s Constitutional Court (AYM). The court, however, deferred the announcement of the verdict.
Keleş had been prosecuted over social media posts and was convicted under the charge of "publicly insulting the president in a continuous manner." The Constitutional Court had previously ruled that her rights had been violated, prompting a retrial at the İzmir 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance.
At the third hearing, Keleş did not attend, but her lawyer, Sefkan Işık from the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), was present. In a previous hearing, Keleş had argued that her posts did not constitute a crime and requested acquittal based on the Constitutional Court's decision. During this latest hearing, Işık reiterated that the posts in question should be considered within the scope of freedom of expression and again called for Keleş’s acquittal.
The prosecutor maintained that Keleş’s posts were criminal and repeated his request for a conviction. After hearing the arguments, the court upheld its previous ruling, sentencing Keleş to 1 year and 2 months in prison but suspending the announcement of the verdict, meaning the sentence will not be enforced unless she commits another offense within a set probation period.
