Özgür Özel to pay compensation to Hulusi Akar

Former Minister of National Defense and AKP Kayseri Deputy Hulusi Akar has won a lawsuit against CHP Chairman Özgür Özel, in which he claimed his personal rights were violated and sought 100,000 Turkish Lira in compensation. The court has delivered its verdict.

The Ankara 13th Civil Court of First Instance ruled that Özel must pay 10,000 Turkish Lira in compensation.

During the hearing, Akar's lawyer, Samet Can Olgaç, argued that the defendant had violated his client's personal rights through persistent statements and behavior, and requested that moral compensation be awarded.

Özel's lawyer, Yüksel Sevda Yavaş, argued that her client's statements were in the nature of political criticism and requested the dismissal of the case.

Judge Fatih Ulu announced that the court had partially accepted the case and ruled that Özel must pay 10,000 Turkish Lira in moral compensation to Akar.

LAWSUIT PETITION

The petition for the lawsuit, filed by Akar's lawyers, stated that the Naval Academy Anthem was recited in its entirety at the TCG Anadolu commissioning ceremony held on April 10, 2023, and that the Ministry of National Defense had obtained and published the footage from the organization that later distributed it.

The petition noted that Özel, who was the CHP Group Deputy Chairman at the time, had claimed in the following days on social media and a television channel that the line "The path following Atatürk..." in the anthem was removed under the instructions of Akar, who was the Minister of National Defense at the time, and that he "could not even tolerate the name of Atatürk." The petition stated that Özel had violated Akar's personal rights with these statements and requested 100,000 Turkish Lira in moral compensation.