20 November 2025
Journalist and writer Hayko Bağdat was acquitted in the retrial of a case brought against him on charges of “insult” under Article 125 of the Turkish Penal Code, following a Constitutional Court decision finding a violation of his freedom of expression.
At the first hearing of the retrial held at the İstanbul 55th Criminal Court of First Instance, Bağdat did not attend as he lives abroad. His lawyer, Didare Hazal Sümeli from the MLSA Legal Team, emphasized that the Constitutional Court had ruled there was a direct violation of freedom of expression and requested an immediate acquittal. The prosecutor also requested acquittal.
The court ruled in line with the prosecutor’s opinion and acquitted Bağdat.
In 2018, Bağdat had quoted a tweet by the newspaper BirGün about İş Bank General Manager Adnan Bali with the comment: “Sana ne be manyak” (“What’s it to you, you maniac”). Bali filed a complaint, and Bağdat was sentenced to a judicial fine of 1,740 TRY in 2022.
Following an individual application by the MLSA Legal Team, the Constitutional Court ruled on 29 April 2025 that Bağdat’s post was critical in nature, did not carry intent to insult, and that punishing him with a judicial fine violated his freedom of expression.
The Constitutional Court also ordered a retrial and awarded Bağdat non-pecuniary damages.
