In the trial over the attack on journalist Levent Gültekin by a group of people in front of the Halk TV studio in İstanbul’s Bakırköy district in the evening of March 8, 2021, the Bakırköy Civil Court of First Instance has ruled that two arrested defendants shall be released. Speaking to Halk TV about the hearing held on March 3 World Press Freedom Day, Gültekin’s attorney Çağrı Metin said, “The arrested defendants – as though there had been no video footage – made those ugly defenses again, claiming that Mr. Gültekin insulted them and they went there to buy books. The attorneys of the defendants – despite the medical report – also said that nothing happened to the hand of Mr. Gültekin, he had no broken bones and he could move his fingers during the program [broadcast after the attack]. All in all, we came up with the result that we were expecting. The defendants have been released. We are not surprised.” The trial will continue in September 2021 (May 3).
In the trial heard by the İstanbul Bakırköy 47th Criminal Court of First Instance, the ones who had attacked journalist Levent Gültekin faced up to 4.5 years in prison each, according to the prosecutor’s opinion as to the accusations (March 15).
At the hearing held at the Bakırköy 47th Criminal Court of First Instance on March 23, 2022, the court ruled that defendants Muhammed Emin Kılıç and Ömer Doğru should be sentenced to 1 year in prison each on charge of “wilful injury”. Noting that the act led to minor bone fracture in the plaintiff, the board increased the prison terms to 1 year, 2 months. Considering the possible effects of the penalization on their social relations and future, the court has reduced the prison sentence to 11 months, 20 days each and deferred the announcement of the verdict (March 23).
