Journalist Levent Gültekin has been acquitted in the trial where he was charged with "insulting the president." The Istanbul 49th Criminal Court of First Instance ruled that the expressions used by Gültekin, which were the subject of a criminal complaint following his remarks on a Halk TV program on September 10, 2021, could not be considered within the scope of the crime of insult.
According to MLSA, the case was initiated following a report made to the Presidential Communication Center (CİMER). The report alleged that Gültekin had stated that religious figures could discipline AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. However, the court accepted the prosecutor's opinion for acquittal, deciding that Gültekin acted within the framework of his identity as a journalist and his right to criticism, and that there was no intent to insult.
In his defense during the hearing, Gültekin stated that the expressions in question consisted of a philosophical interpretation and certainly did not carry the intent to insult. His lawyer, Yağmur Yaşar, argued that the statements should be evaluated as a whole and that a single selected sentence could not change the meaning of the entire speech. Taking these arguments into account, the court ruled for the journalist's acquittal.
News Source: 12punto
