MEDIA MONITORING DATABASE
Insulting the President case – Suat Toktaş
RELATED PERSON OR INSTITUTION
Suat Toktaş
CITY
İstanbul
YEAR OF INTERFERENCE
2025
LAST UPDATED
14/09/2025
TYPE OF STATEMENT
Political
MEDIUM
Television
THE TITLE OF WHOSE RIGHT IS INTERFERED
Journalist
RIGHTS GUARANTEED UNDER THE RIGHT OF FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
Right to Impart Information and Ideas
TYPE OF INTERFERENCE
Judicial Interference
Public Prosecution Offices
File a criminal case
THE LEGAL GROUNDS FOR INTERFERENCE
Turkish Penal Code
Art. 299

23 September 2024

An indictment prepared by the Press Crimes Bureau of the Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office and accepted by the Bakırköy 18th Criminal Court of First Instance has opened a case against Suat Toktaş, Editor-in-Chief of Halk TV, under Article 299 of the Turkish Penal Code (“insulting the President”), seeking 1 year 2 months to 4 years 8 months in prison.

The indictment stated that Toktaş bore legal responsibility as the channel’s managing editor for the remarks made by the other defendants.

The same case also lists İbrahim Kahveci and Mehmet Tezkan as co-defendants. (Proceedings have not yet started / no hearing date has been set.)