Eylem Sonbahar
A prosecutor has requested a sentence for journalist Onur Öncü, arguing that his social media post contained an insult against Milat newspaper's Ankara representative, Özlem Doğan. The case was initiated following Doğan’s complaint.
The second hearing in the trial took place at Istanbul’s 29th Criminal Court of First Instance. Öncü, whose defense is supported by the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), attended the session with his lawyer, Hazal Sümeli. Denying the accusation, Öncü requested acquittal.
In the prosecution’s final opinion, the prosecutor claimed that the post in question clearly insulted the complainant and called for Öncü’s conviction. His lawyer requested additional time to respond.
The court granted both Doğan’s request to join the case as a complainant and the defense’s request for more time, postponing the trial to March 18.
Background
On Oct. 10, 2021, Özlem Doğan shared an old video on Twitter (now X), writing:
"While trying to provoke the award ceremony, Dersim-born actress Nihal Yalçın was gently reminded of the time by Tamer Karadağlı. She responded to the question, ‘What would be your last tweet?’ by saying, ‘Freedom for Selahattin Demirtaş’.”
In response, Onur Öncü commented: "This person, who has 'journalist' in their profile, is a complete charlatan. You sneaky hitman."
Following Doğan’s complaint, prosecutors charged Öncü with "insult via an audio, written, or visual message," arguing that there was sufficient suspicion to justify a public trial. The indictment called for his conviction.
