Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality Trustee and tender commission members filed an “insult” lawsuit (art. 125/3) against Tigris Haber newspaper’s publication coordinator Naci Sapan, on the grounds that he insulted them for his article titled “Trustee and trustees”. The journalist, who was tried at Diyarbakır 5th Criminal Court of First Instance and requested to be imprisoned, presented his defense to the court with his lawyers on 22 March (22 March).

31 October 2023

The Diyarbakır Criminal Court of First Instance sentenced Naci Sapan, columnist and publishing coordinator of the local newspaper Tigris Haber, to 135 days of judicial fine on charges of “insulting public officials due to their duty” (Article 125/3-a of the Turkish Penal Code) over his column “Trustees, little trustees!” published on 29 March 2023. The sentence was converted into a fine of 2,700 Turkish Lira, and the court ruled for the suspension of the pronouncement of the verdict (HAGB).

The case was launched upon complaints by the then-governor and trustee of Diyarbakır, Ali İhsan Su, and other members of the tender commission, who alleged that the column insulted them. Sapan and his lawyer appealed the decision, arguing that it was unlawful and procedurally flawed.