A Turkish court has ordered a compensation of 177.43 Turkish Lira (approximately $9) for Fırat Can Arslan, a journalist from Mezopotamya Agency, following his wrongful detention. Arslan was arrested while covering the funeral of slain journalist Nagihan Akarsel in Cihanbeyli, Konya Province.
The incident occurred on October 13, 2022, when Arslan, along with Dilan Babat from JINNEWS, were detained by gendarmes during the funeral. The authorities claimed that the live broadcast of the funeral, which inadvertently included images of security forces, constituted "targeting individuals involved in counterterrorism operations." The journalists were subsequently released, but not before being charged with this alleged crime, leading to a trial at the 2nd High Criminal Court of Konya.
On October 5, 2023, both journalists were acquitted in the trial, with the court affirming that there was no evidence they had exposed or targeted public officials. Following their acquittal, Arslan’s legal team filed for damages due to the unjust detention, culminating in the modest compensation awarded by the 11th High Criminal Court of Ankara.
The decision to award such a small amount of compensation has been contested by attorneys from the Ministry of Treasury and Finance, and the case has now been escalated to the Ankara Regional Court of Justice for a final decision. Additionally, the Konya Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has appealed the acquittal of the journalists, arguing procedural and legal errors, moving the case to the Konya Regional Court of Justice for further examination.
