- The Antalya Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has decided not to prosecute T24 Editor-in-Chief Doğan Akın and journalist Ceren Bala Teke, who is represented by the MLSA Legal Unit, over a criminal complaint stemming from a news report published by T24.
- Prosecutors in Antalya, a Mediterranean province in southern Turkey, said the report fell within the scope of press freedom and that the legal elements required for the alleged offenses had not been established.
MLSA — The Antalya Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has decided not to prosecute T24 Editor-in-Chief Doğan Akın and journalist Ceren Bala Teke, who is represented by the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), over a criminal complaint stemming from a news report published by T24.
In its decision, the prosecutor’s office said reporting the allegations contained in the story fell within the scope of press freedom and that the legal elements of the offenses alleged against the journalists had not been established.
The investigation was launched following a criminal complaint over an April 9 report on the T24 news website headlined, “Lawyers from the We Will Stop Femicide Platform threaten family whose daughters were killed with enforcement proceedings: ‘They said the support was voluntary, now we are being threatened with enforcement.’”
The criminal complaint was filed by the Önce Çocuklar ve Kadınlar Derneği (Children and Women First Association), the association’s president, Müjde Tozbey, and lawyer Çisel Demirkan Sakallı. They alleged that the news report contained false and misleading information.
The complaint argued that Akın bore editorial responsibility for the publication of the report in his capacity as T24’s editor-in-chief. It also alleged that Akın had a duty to verify the accuracy of the report and prevent the publication of unlawful content.
The complainants asked prosecutors to assess the incident under offenses including “insult,” “false accusation” and “publicly disseminating misleading information.”
Teke includes accounts from both family and lawyer
The prosecutor’s decision also cited Teke’s statement given as part of the investigation. Teke said she contacted Müjde Tozbey, president of the Children and Women First Association, after relatives of Müesser Ünal reached out to her.
Teke said Tozbey confirmed some of the claims relayed to her by the family and also provided her own account of the dispute with them. Teke added that she included Tozbey’s statements in the news report and that she was also sent a copy of the contract signed between the family and the lawyers.
The T24 report detailed allegations by Ünal’s relatives concerning their legal dealings with lawyers from the association. The family alleged that the lawyers initially said they would provide legal assistance voluntarily and free of charge, but later had them sign a legal services agreement and failed to inform them about a compensation lawsuit filed against Turkey’s Interior Ministry.
The report also included the family’s allegation that, after a dispute arose between the family and the lawyers, the lawyers said they would initiate enforcement proceedings over attorney fees.
Tozbey, who is also a lawyer, responded to the allegations in the report. She said the compensation case had been filed in the hope of securing a precedent-setting ruling, that the family had been aware of the lawsuit and that the legal process to recover attorney fees was initiated after the lawyers were dismissed by the family.
Bar association complaints also included in case file
Prosecutors also sought information from the Antalya and Ankara bar associations about the background to the allegations cited in the news report.
In its response, the Antalya Bar Association said Necati Becerir, Semure Becerir, Olcay Yücesoy, Deniz Becerir and Öykü Ünal had filed a complaint against lawyer Müjde Tozbey over the allegations included in the report.
In a June 30 response, the Ankara Bar Association said Necati Becerir, Semure Becerir, Olcay Becerir and Deniz Becerir had filed a complaint against lawyer Çisel Demirkan Sakallı and that the investigation was ongoing.
The prosecutor’s decision also noted that the same individuals had filed complaints against Tozbey and Demirkan with the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, and that a preliminary review report prepared in the case had been sent to the Justice Ministry.
Prosecutor says report falls within scope of press freedom
In its decision, the prosecutor’s office cited Article 28 of Turkey’s Constitution, which governs freedom of the press, as well as Article 3 of Press Law No. 5187. It said the press has the right to obtain and disseminate information, as well as to criticize and comment.
The decision said that, for publications by the press to fall within the scope of freedom of expression, they must meet criteria including factual basis, timeliness, public interest, social relevance and a logical connection between the subject matter and the way it is expressed.
Prosecutors said the information contained in the report did not concern the country’s internal or external security, public order or public health, and concluded that the legal elements of the offense of “publicly disseminating misleading information,” set out in Article 217/A of the Turkish Penal Code, had not been established.
The decision also found that the offense of false accusation had not been committed because the report presented allegations made by Müesser Ünal’s relatives.
The prosecutor’s office further said that even if the report contained inaccurate information or harsh criticism, such issues could be addressed through a right of reply or correction, or through civil claims for damages.
Prosecutor says report was timely and newsworthy
The decision said the T24 report concerned a dispute between the relatives of Müesser Ünal, who was killed by her husband in 2025, and the association and lawyers who represented them in legal proceedings.
Prosecutors found that the report was timely and newsworthy. They also said there was no discrepancy between the way the story was presented and its subject matter, and that it contained no conduct that would harm the complainants’ honor, dignity or reputation.
The prosecutor’s office further concluded that T24 Editor-in-Chief Doğan Akın bore no criminal responsibility for the report.
As a result, prosecutors decided not to bring charges against Ceren Bala Teke or Doğan Akın.
The decision can be challenged before the Antalya Criminal Judgeship of Peace within two weeks of its formal notification.
Background
Müesser Ünal was killed in Ankara, Turkey’s capital, on Sept. 4, 2025, by the man she was in the process of divorcing. Her family later received legal assistance from lawyers with the Children and Women First Association in the murder case and other legal proceedings.
The family said the association’s lawyers initially told them they would provide legal assistance voluntarily and free of charge, but later had them sign a legal services agreement. The family said the agreement stipulated that 25% of any money obtained through certain legal proceedings would be paid as attorney fees.
The family also said a 7.15 million Turkish lira compensation lawsuit was filed against the Interior Ministry without their knowledge and that, after they dismissed the lawyers, they were told enforcement proceedings would be initiated against them over attorney fees. The family subsequently filed complaints against the lawyers with prosecutors and bar associations.
T24’s April 9 report included the family’s allegations as well as responses from lawyer Müjde Tozbey. Tozbey said the compensation lawsuit was filed in the hope of obtaining a precedent-setting ruling, that the family was aware of the case and that the legal process to recover attorney fees began after the lawyers were dismissed.
