İstanbul – Criminal charges against People's Democratic Party (HDP) MP Ahmet Şık were dismissed by the İstanbul 17. Court of First Instance today. Şık was accused of 'publicly insulting the Turkish nation, Turkish Republic and defaming state institutions’, charges which arose after he made social media posts critical of the current government.
Şık's lawyer Can Atalay noted that his client was elected to the Turkish Parliament in the June 2018 elections and demanded that the proceedings cease given Şık has legislative immunity arising from Article 83/2 of the Turkish Constitution. Judge Mustafa Ün agreed to dismiss the charges on the basis of Article 83/2.
Updated: December 5 2018
