Turkey: Habertürk Columnist Nagehan Alçi Was Fined To Seven Thousand And Eighty Turkish Lira
Location: Turkey, Istanbul
Date: March 31, 2021Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe
The fourth hearing of the case against Habertürk columnist, Nagehan Alçı, was held today in İstanbul. The court sentenced Nagehan Alçı to a judicial fine of seven thousand and 80 Turkish Lira (TL) for “publicly insulting an official due to their duty.”
The fourth hearing of the case against columnist Nagehan Alçı was held today at the İstanbul 2nd Court of First Instance. The journalist is being sued for her article titled "Minister of Justice's reaction to that embarrassing decision" published in Habertürk in June 2018.
Although the prosecutor of the case changed in the last hearing, the new prosecutor repeated the previous opinion. The court board fined Nagehan Alçı seven thousand and 80 TL for “publicly insulting an official due to their duty.”
In the article, Nagehan criticized the Judge of Istanbul Criminal Court of First Instance, Hakkı Yalçınkaya. She wrote that "Unfortunately, the judge-prosecutor mentality, which does not care about individual rights, still reigns in places”. Nagehan accused Judge Yalçınkaya of wrongfully convicting Hrant Dink and his son Arat Dink simply because they were Armenian, adding that the judge’s decision led to Hırant Dink’s death.
Two years after the article was published, Judge Yalçınkaya filed a complaint against Nagehan regarding the alleged insult. Yalçınkaya claimed the article was "insulting and libellous", stating that he was targeted by terrorist organizations as a result. Upon the end of the investigation, initiated by the complaint, a lawsuit was filed demanding Nagehan Alçı be sentenced between three months to two years in prison for “insulting via an audio, text or video message”.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism finds filing a lawsuit against journalists solely for their coverage is unacceptable. We condemn the fine given against Nagehan Alçı.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism closely monitors the incidents in Turkey with great concern. Since March 8, Women's Day, police violence against women journalists increasingly continues in the country. As the coalition, we urge the Turkish state to provide a free environment for journalists. Following the news is our most fundamental democratic right to report. We demand the immediate release of our detained colleagues. Journalism is not a crime. Journalism cannot be prevented.
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