22 November 2024
Journalist Ahmet Sever, former chief press advisor to the 11th President Abdullah Gül, was acquitted in a retrial before the Istanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance. The case stemmed from Sever’s 2016 interview with Cumhuriyet newspaper, in which he alleged that then-presidential advisor Mustafa Varank was directing “Ak trolls.”
Following Varank’s complaint, Sever was charged with “insult” (Article 125 of the Turkish Penal Code) and “defamation” (Article 267), with prosecutors seeking a prison sentence of between 1 year and 2 years and 4 months. In December 2016, the court sentenced Sever to a judicial fine of 10,620 TRY but ruled for the deferment of the announcement of the verdict (HAGB).
Since he could not appeal the HAGB ruling, Sever lodged an individual application before the Constitutional Court, which in 2023 found that his right to freedom of expression had been violated. A retrial was thus initiated. Despite this, the prosecution continued to seek a conviction during hearings in 2024.
At the fourth hearing on 22 November 2024, Varank’s lawyer Melih Çelenk requested a conviction in line with the prosecutor’s opinion, while Sever’s lawyer Oya Aydın Göktaş argued for acquittal based on the Constitutional Court’s ruling. The court followed the Constitutional Court’s decision and acquitted Sever.
In the 2016 interview, Sever had stated regarding social media trolls: “It is clear who they are. These Ak trolls are directed from the Palace. The one running this whole operation is Varank.” He also said that the team behind the “Pelikan dossier”, which contributed to the resignation of former Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, acted under orders from the highest level.
