The 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance sentenced Mümtazer Türköne, a columnist for now-closed Zaman newspaper to a judicial fine of 740 TL in the lawsuit in 2014, for allegedly “insulting” President Erdoğan. The sentence was not deferred.
It was alleged that Türköne has insulted the President Erdoğan in his article entitled “Mecbur olmasa bu kadar kötü olur mu?(Would he be that evil if he didn’t have to?)”. He has faced up to 2 years imprisonment. The court has acquitted him in 2016. On July 2, 2018, the 18th Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court ruled that the decision of the local court was overturned and resubmitted the file to the court (October 31).