Turkey: No Relief For Hazal Ocak, Olcay Büyüktaş Akça And Two Other Journalists As İstanbul Court Adjourns The Trial For SLAPP Filed By Erdoğan’s Son
Location: Turkey, Istanbul
Date: June 7, 2022Available in: 🇹🇷 Türkçe
The third hearing of the strategic lawsuit against public participation (SLAPP) against journalists Hazal Ocak, Olcay Büyüktaş Akça, and two other defendants was held in İstanbul on Tuesday. The court decided to review the case file and adjourned the case until November 8. The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the weaponization of law to silence the critical press.
The journalists continue to stand trial for the criminal charge of “insult through an oral, written or visual medium message” on the complaint of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s son Bilal Erdoğan. Four former staffers of the daily newspaper Cumhuriyet were sued after reports revealing President Erdoğan’s son, Bilal Erdoğan’s links with businessmen who were awarded public tenders. In October 2021, Bilal filed a criminal complaint against former Cumhuriyet reporter Hazal, former editor-in-chief Olcay, then internet executive Ozan Yurtoğlu and then editorial coordinator Serkan Ozan over a report published on January 31, 2021. He claimed that the report titled, “Burak and Bilal Erdoğan’s friend Başçı won five public tenders worth 26.4 million Turkish liras: The friend is tenders rich,” was insulting and constituted libel.
Today, the court decided to review the case file and adjourned the next hearing on November 8, 2022.
In the previous case on February 8, the prosecution moved the court to punish the journalists for “insulting public officials in a chain” based on the headline and contents of the report penned by Hazal. The prosecution argued that phrases used in the report such as “Bilal Erdoğan’s lucky friend” and “the friend is tenders rich” as well as the use of Bilal’s photos in the article constitute insult and libel. It further argued that the allegations made in the report were of a nature that could offend the honor and dignity of the complainant. The prosecutor sought a prison sentence of up to four years and a judicial fine for each of the journalists on the charge of “insult through an oral, written or visual medium message”.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the SLAPP against Hazal Ocak, Olcay Büyüktaş Akça, Ozan Yurtoğlu and Serkan Ozan. We extend solidarity to the journalists and call for their immediate acquittal. It is a journalist’s job to speak truth to power and hold public officials accountable. Journalists must be able to do so without fear of government retaliation. We urge the Turkish judiciary to respect the rights of an independent press and call on the Turkish government to investigate the allegations made in the report instead of taking action against the reporters. The case against the former staffers of Cumhuriyet newspaper reflects poorly on the country which claims to be a democracy. It does not go amiss that the president’s son chose to pursue a criminal case against individual journalists and not the media house. The intention is to bleed the financial resources of the journalists and legally harass them in a bid to intimidate them into silence.
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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