Data flow was interrupted during Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality elections: Statement from Anadolu Agency following Constitutional Court's violation ruling

The Constitutional Court (AYM) has ruled that the interruption in the election data provided by Anadolu Agency (AA) to its subscribers during the 2019 Local Administration General Elections constituted a violation of rights. The decision was made following an individual application filed by KRT Television.

"DATA INTERRUPTION CAPABLE OF NEGATIVELY AFFECTING BROADCASTING ACTIVITIES"

In its reasoning, the AYM pointed out that the data flow interruption, which lasted approximately 13 hours, occurred during the most critical segments of the vote count. It was stated that this situation was of a nature that could negatively affect the broadcasting activities of the applicant media organization.

Prior to the 2019 elections, a "Election TV Screen Subscription Agreement" had been signed between KRT Television and Anadolu Agency, under which KRT paid a fee of 2,500 TL to obtain the right to broadcast AA's election results. However, after the data flow stopped on election night, KRT sought legal recourse, stating that its broadcasting credibility had been damaged.

STATEMENT FROM AA FOLLOWING AYM RULING

Anadolu Agency reported that the local court had rejected the case on the grounds that there was no measurable damage, and that the AYM had only conducted an examination regarding the justification of the decision. The statement emphasized that the AYM ruling did not contain any findings regarding AA's institutional structure or the reliability of its election data.

"The Ankara 2nd Commercial Court of First Instance rejected the case on the grounds that no concrete and measurable damage had been demonstrated. The AYM, in its examination upon individual application, made assessments regarding the justification of the local court's decision. The court decided to send the file back to the Ankara 2nd Commercial Court of First Instance for retrial.

The AYM ruling does not contain any assessment regarding Anadolu Agency's institutional structure, editorial approach, or the reliability of the collection and sharing of election data. Anadolu Agency will continue to follow the legal process."