Court ruling in defamation case filed by Hilal Kaplan: 'Freedom of expression'

Sabah and Daily Sabah columnist and TRT Board member Hilal Kaplan divorced Süheyb Öğüt in 2023 and married Milat newspaper columnist Tevfik Emre Sarı, and shortly after, an access ban was imposed on news reports regarding the marriage.

A user named Nurdan Demir commented on a news report titled "Access ban imposed on Hilal Kaplan-Tevfik Emre Sarı news," which was posted on Facebook by the news site "Sol Haber" at the time, writing: "It would have been enough for them to be honorable, moral, and decent until they had an access ban placed on the news."

Hilal Kaplan claimed that the comment made by Nurdan Demir on Facebook constituted defamation and requested that a lawsuit be filed against the defendant.

According to a report by Halktv.com.tr, the indictment prepared by the prosecutor's office stated that the expression in question violated the complainant's personal rights and requested that the defendant be punished.

"NO DEFAMATION"

In her defense in court, defendant Nurdan Demir stated that a long time had passed since the incident, that she did not remember the comment, but that she had no intention of defamation. Based on the trial, the evidence presented, and expert reports, the court ruled that the defendant did not commit the crime of defamation.

TRIAL EXPENSES TRANSFERRED TO THE TREASURY

The court ruled that the post in question should be evaluated within the scope of freedom of thought and expression and acquitted the defendant. Furthermore, it was decided that the 30,000 TL attorney's fee, due to the defendant being represented by counsel, would be covered by the Treasury.

Demir's lawyer, Doğan Erkan, stated that since the case was a criminal case and all criminal cases fall under the scope of public prosecution, the Treasury covers all trial expenses in the event of the defendant's acquittal.

News Source: 12punto