Journalist İsmail Arı sued for asking for 'Right of Reply': Accused of 'disturbing peace and tranquility'
A lawsuit has been filed against BirGün newspaper reporter İsmail Arı on charges of "disturbing the peace and tranquility of individuals" following a complaint by Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) Chairman Ebubekir Şahin.
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In a statement on his social media account, Arı announced that he is facing legal proceedings two years after his report regarding Şahin appointing his relatives to managerial positions at the institution during his tenure as RTÜK Chairman.
The prepared indictment states that the calls made and messages sent to the subject of the report in order to ask about the allegations are considered "victimization" and evidence of a crime.
Reacting to the accusation against him, journalist Arı reminded that reaching out to the parties involved in a story and granting them the right of reply is one of the primary principles of universal journalism.
Arı stated, "Granting the right of reply, that is, asking the parties about the incident, is the first rule of journalism.
And once again, I am being asked to be punished for doing journalism.
They have even presented this to the prosecutor's office as evidence of a crime," he said.
Is there a crime in this message?
— İsmail Arı (@ismailari_) September 2, 2026
I had reported that Ebubekir Şahin had made his relatives managers at the institution during his time as RTÜK Chairman.
Two years after the report, a lawsuit was filed against me upon Şahin's complaint for the crime of "disturbing the peace and tranquility of individuals."
According to the indictment, "your right of reply… pic.twitter.com/n2VMChPsea