Cenk Yiğiter, a lawyer and former academic dismissed from public service by a government decree, has been acquitted in a case where he was accused of "insulting the president."
The fourth hearing of Yiğiter’s trial was held at Ankara 53rd Criminal Court of First Instance. Yiğiter, who was dismissed from Ankara University’s Faculty of Law during Turkey’s state of emergency period, was on trial for a social media post allegedly insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Yiğiter and his lawyer, Ayşen Akçay Senem, did not attend the hearing, citing an excuse. The prosecution repeated its previous opinion, stating that while Yiğiter’s post contained "harsh and offensive words," it did not fully meet the legal criteria for insult. The prosecution requested his acquittal.
The court ruled that the "elements of the crime were not met" and acquitted Yiğiter of all charges.
Background
The case against Yiğiter began after law enforcement reported his social media post to the authorities. The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office then filed an indictment against him for "insulting the president."
The post in question, shared on Yiğiter’s social media account, referenced President Erdoğan, saying: "This man can say 'Sela' with such a drawl. Why do we call him Erdoğan? Why don’t we say Tayyo or Tayrap instead?" Prosecutors argued that this statement could be considered offensive to Erdoğan’s "honor, dignity, and reputation."
