Ümit Özdağ was on trial for 'insulting the memory of a person': 'Insulting Sheikh Said' sentence

Following the criminal complaint, a legal process was initiated by the Erzurum Hınıs Criminal Court of First Instance. The court announced its verdict at the hearing held today.

Zafer Party Chairman Ümit Özdağ was sentenced to a fine of 6,500 Turkish Lira in the case where he was tried for "insulting the memory of a person" due to the statements he made regarding Sheikh Said.

At the end of the trial, the court evaluated that the crime of publicly insulting the memory of Sheikh Said had been committed due to the post made from the social media account named "umitozdag," which was stated to belong to him. The court stated in its decision that the complainants, who were identified as the grandchildren of Sheikh Said, had the right to file a complaint, taking into account that the post was made via a publicly accessible account.

The court concluded that the claims of "political identity," "public debate," and "historical assessment" put forward in the defense did not legally legitimize the insulting remarks. At the end of the trial, the court imposed a judicial fine of 6,500 TL on Özdağ and also decided to defer the announcement of the verdict (HAGB) and to impose a 5-year probation period. It was also stated in the decision that the right to appeal is open. 

News Source: 12punto