May 23, 2024 - The trial has begun in Istanbul for the lawsuit filed by Bilal Erdoğan, son of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, against journalist Furkan Karabay. The case revolves around a social media post by Karabay, which included references to a petition sent by former Istanbul Anatolian Chief Public Prosecutor İsmail Uçar to the Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK). Bilal Erdoğan is seeking 250,000 TL in damages, claiming the post was an unjust attack on his personal rights.
The first hearing of the compensation case, accusing Karabay of "unjustly attacking Bilal Erdoğan’s personal rights," took place at the Istanbul 45th Civil Court of First Instance. Although Karabay did not attend the hearing, his lawyer, Özge Naz Akkaya, was present.
Mehmet İnal, representing Bilal Erdoğan, argued for the acceptance of the lawsuit, stating, "False statements have been made that attacked my client’s personal rights. The illegal actions are being masked as journalism."
In her defense, Özge Naz Akkaya reiterated objections regarding jurisdiction, arguing, "The plaintiff has not proven that he suffered damage in Istanbul. There is also an ongoing criminal case at the Istanbul 47th Criminal Court of First Instance related to the same subject. We request that this civil case be postponed until the criminal case is resolved. The lawsuit should be dismissed."
The court decided to request the case file from the Istanbul 47th Criminal Court of First Instance via the National Judiciary Informatics System (UYAP) and rejected the jurisdiction objection raised by Akkaya. The next hearing is scheduled for November 14.
Background on the case
Former Istanbul Anatolian Chief Public Prosecutor İsmail Uçar, in a petition to the HSK, alleged that access bans and release decisions were being sold at the Anatolian Courthouse.
Journalist Furkan Karabay posted about this petition on his personal account on the X platform on November 2, 2023.
Bilal Erdoğan, mentioned in the post, subsequently filed a lawsuit against Karabay, claiming the post was an unjust attack on his personal rights and seeking 250,000 TL in non-pecuniary damages.
In addition to the compensation lawsuit, a criminal case on charges of "insult" and "slander" related to the same social media post is ongoing at the Istanbul 47th Criminal Court of First Instance, following Bilal Erdoğan’s complaint.
