Court reaches decision: 3-year prison sentence requested for journalist İsmail Saymaz

Journalist İsmail Saymaz's trial regarding his article dated April 26, 2022, titled "The wife of the AKP judge in the Gezi Park trial is a FETÖ confessor" continued.

İsmail Saymaz and his lawyers attended the hearing at the Istanbul 24th High Criminal Court. Presenting their opinion at the hearing, the prosecutor requested an acquittal for the charge of "publicly insulting a public official due to their duty," stating that the expressions used by İsmail Saymaz against the complainant judge Murat Bircan did not constitute elements of insult and should be evaluated within the scope of freedom of expression.

UP TO 3 YEARS IN PRISON REQUESTED

The prosecutor claimed that "Saymaz's defense was aimed at evading the crime and should not be credited, that the news content included the judge's name, photograph, and family information, and that the judge was targeted due to his duties and judicial activities in the Gezi Park trial."

The prosecutor requested that Saymaz be sentenced to 1 to 3 years in prison for the crime of "targeting a public official involved in the fight against terrorism."

The court adjourned the hearing to allow time for the preparation of defense statements against the prosecutor's opinion.

News Source: 12punto