Faruk Eren, the Managing Editor of Gerçek Gündem, and Furkan Karabay, the editor of Gerçek Gündem, faced a lawsuit for “insulting a public official” (as per the Article 125 of the Turkish Penal Code / TCK). Karabay had reported on the appointments at the Antalya Courthouse, including İstanbul Deputy Public Prosecutors Zafer Koç and Yakup Ali Kahveci, in the news report titled “‘İstanbul’ detail in the ‘Antalya’ operation in the judiciary: What do the appointed prosecutors show?” (October 4).
At the hearing at the İstanbul 30th Criminal Court of First Instance, Eren and Karabay were sentenced to 2 years, 3 months in prison. The judge did not execute the provisions as to the suspension of the announcement of the verdict (October 13).
30 January 2025
The Istanbul Regional Court of Appeals upheld the sentences of two years and three months in prison handed down by the Istanbul 30th Criminal Court of First Instance against former Gerçek Gündem managing editor Faruk Eren and former editor Furkan Karabay on charges of “insulting public officials.”