Lawsuit against Timur Soykan and Barış Pehlivan! Prison time requested...

A lawsuit has been filed against journalists Timur Soykan and Barış Pehlivan, seeking prison sentences ranging from 1 year and 6 months to 4 years and 6 months on charges of "publicly disseminating misleading information."

CHIEF PUBLIC PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE PREPARED THE INDICTMENT

Soykan and Pehlivan are named as defendants in the indictment prepared by the Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. It was stated that an investigation was launched due to their remarks on the "Şule Aydın ile Kayda Geçsin" program broadcast on Halk TV on October 15, 2024, on the grounds that they "used expressions that humiliated the judiciary and state institutions through the press in a way that would damage the public's sense of justice."

It was noted that there were no grounds for further prosecution regarding Murat Ağırel, who also participated in the program. The indictment stated that the files for Soykan regarding the charges of "insulting the President and humiliating state institutions" and for Pehlivan regarding the charge of "humiliating state institutions" were separated due to different procedural requirements. The indictment also included information that the broadcast was requested from RTÜK and examined.

SOYKAN DENIED THE ACCUSATIONS

The indictment stated that in his defense, Timur Soykan said his "statements were based on official statements made by authorities, open-source research, information obtained from political circles, and knowledge gained through professional experience." It was further noted that Soykan stated he "shared the information he obtained as a fundamental requirement of the journalism profession with the public in accordance with the truth, and that he did not accept the accusations."

PEHLİVAN EMPHASIZED 'FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND PRESS'

In his defense, Barış Pehlivan stated that he "has been practicing journalism for over 20 years, and his words were based on official statements made by authorities, open-source research, information obtained from political circles, and knowledge gained through professional experience." It was recorded that Pehlivan declared that "his actions should be evaluated within the scope of freedom of expression and press freedom, that the material and moral elements of the alleged crimes were not formed, and that he requested a decision of non-prosecution."

The indictment stated that in line with the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights, the Constitutional Court, and the Court of Cassation, news to be published in written and visual media must meet criteria such as accuracy, the purpose of informing the public correctly, not disrupting public order, and not targeting the reputation of individuals or institutions.

It was alleged that the words expressed by Soykan and Pehlivan on the program "exceeded the limits of criticism and press freedom and were of a nature that touched upon the alleged crimes."

TRIAL PROCESS TO BEGIN

In the prepared indictment, a prison sentence of 1 year and 6 months to 4 years and 6 months was requested for both journalists for the crime of "publicly disseminating misleading information." The trial will begin in the coming days within the scope of the indictment accepted by the Bakırköy 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance.