MEDIA MONITORING DATABASE
Constitutional Court ruling of “violation of press freedom” for Yeni Akit – Hacı Yakışıklı
RELATED PERSON OR INSTITUTION
Hacı Yakışıklı
CITY
İstanbul
YEAR OF INTERFERENCE
2021
LAST UPDATED
26/05/2021
TYPE OF STATEMENT
Political
MEDIUM
Print Media
Newspaper
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
Criminal Courts
Other
THE LEGAL GROUNDS FOR INTERFERENCE
Turkish Penal Code
Art. 125/1

In its ruling dated May 26, the Constitutional Court finalized the application made by Yeni Akit newspaper reporter Hacı Yakışıklı, its owner Ramazan Fatih Uğurlu and Uğurlu Journalism Press Printing Advertising Incorporation. The Constitutional Court has concluded that it was a violation of freedom of expression and press that the applicants were sentenced to pay damages over a news report published in 2013. The related news report alleged that a student was placed under pressure by some teachers at her school because she was wearing a headscarf; the daily accused the teachers of “bearing a grudge against women wearing headscarves by almost spitting venom just to satisfy their own egos.” One of the teachers mentioned in the news with her or his picture filed a lawsuit for damages, arguing that her or his personality rights were violated. When the trial ended, Yakışıklı and others were sentenced to pay 5 thousand Turkish Lira (TRY) in damages. In its ruling of rights violation, the Constitutional Court concluded that the expressions cited as the reason for the applicants’ conviction “had the characteristics of heavy criticism, were related to a debate with public good and did not constitute an attack with no reason” (May 26).