Columnist Still Sentenced To Pay, Though Found Innocent

Columnist Altemur Kılıç has been sentenced to pay 10 thousand euro to Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan for writing “reckless bully” on the May 14 2004 issue of the newspaper Yeniçağ.

Kılıç could not take advantage of the decision of the 4th Legal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Appeals that reversed the decision of the 14th Criminal Court of First Instance of Ankara to sentence both Kılıç and Osman Tığralı, the director in-charge of Yeniçağ.

Innocent of what he wrote, but still guilty for technical reasons

Although the Supreme Court of Appeals reversed the decision of the court that tried the case by concluding that there was nothing wrong with the expression, Kılıç was still sentenced because of a procedural error in his power of attorney.

Taking advantage of this, Erdoğan’s lawyers still manage to get Kılıç convicted. When Kılıç’s lawyers go back to the Supreme Court of Appeals, this time the court rejects the case.

Therefore, according to columnist Melih Aşık of daily Milliyet,  Kılıç’s retirement wagewas seized, although he is not guilty.

The Prime Minister goes after the media

The latest victim was the weekly comic magazine Leman for putting on its cover Prime Minister’s words “We did not take West’s science, but its immorality”. They were sentenced to the compensation payment of 2000 euro.

Erdoğan had daily Radikal convicted to paying 2500 euro for columnist Perihan Mağden’s article titled “I wonder if the Prime Minister likes his job.”

Collage artist Michael Dickinson was acquitted in the case filed against him by the rime Minister. Dickinson was prosecuted for drawing the Prime Minister in the shape of a dog.

Owner of Milas Önder journalist Melih Kaşgar is on trial for having a joke about Erdoğan and President Gül published in his newspaper.

The Prime Minister had filed a lawsuit against columnist Fikri Sağlar and daily Birgün where he writes for claiming that he had given a file to former Chief of Staff Yaşar Büyükanıt about his wife’s spending, and daily Vatan for quoting Sağlar’s article.

The Prime Minister had lost the case against İlhan Selçuk of daily Cumhuriyet.

Erdoğah had also lost the cases he had filed against Musa Kart of daily Cumhuriyet, Sefer Selvi of daily Günlük Evrensel, the comic magazines Penguen and Leman and the local newspaper Sakarya. (EÖ/TB)