EYLEM SONBAHAR
Journalists İzel Sezer and Batuhan Batan were acquitted in a trial stemming from a report titled “Lawsuit filed against journalists covering bribery allegations involving Erdoğan’s lawyers”. The Istanbul 25th Criminal Court of First Instance ruled that the charges were unfounded, as the acts described were not defined as crimes under Turkish law.
Court decision follows prosecutor's recommendation for acquittal
The sixth hearing of the case saw İleri Haber’s then-editor-in-chief İzel Sezer and news editor Batuhan Batan defend their reporting alongside their lawyer, Özgür Urfa. The charges were initiated following a complaint by Mustafa Doğan İnal, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's former lawyer.
The prosecutor reiterated the earlier opinion, stating that the journalists should be acquitted. However, İnal's lawyer, Muhammed Koç, criticized the prosecutor's opinion for lacking clarity on which article of the Criminal Procedure Code (CMK 223) was the basis for acquittal. Despite this, the court dismissed the charges, ruling that the journalists' actions did not constitute a crime.
Background of the case
The charges arose after İleri Haber published the story on December 6, 2021, reporting allegations of bribery involving Mustafa Doğan İnal. The allegations, originally highlighted in the book Cendere by journalists Barış Terkoğlu and Barış Pehlivan, claimed that İnal was implicated in a bribery negotiation. Turkey Workers’ Party (TİP) MP Ahmet Şık had also shared details of the allegations on social media.
Following Şık's posts, İleri Haber journalists Doğan Ergün and İzel Sezer had previously faced a lawsuit at Istanbul's 33rd Criminal Court for charges of "defamation," "insult," and "unlawful disclosure of private conversations.” The current case against Sezer and Batuhan Batan followed İleri Haber’s publication of a related report titled “Lawsuit filed against journalists covering bribery allegations involving Erdoğan’s lawyers”.
Significance
This case underscores ongoing pressures on journalists in Turkey, particularly those covering allegations of corruption and misconduct involving high-profile figures. Despite the verdict, press freedom advocates remain critical of the continued criminalization of reporting that holds powerful actors accountable.
