4 February 2025
Cumhuriyet columnist Barış Pehlivan appeared before the Istanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance on charges of “publicly insulting a public official in connection with his duty” (Turkish Penal Code, Article 125/3), filed upon the complaint of Boğaziçi University Rector Naci İnci.Pehlivan argued that his article referred to YÖK disciplinary reports and academic Tuna Tuğcu’s allegations, stressing there was no intent to insult, and requested Tuğcu as a witness. His lawyer also stated that the article contained no insulting remarks. The court decided to request information from YÖK and to consider the witness requests at a later stage, adjourning the case to 8 July 2025.
2 April 2025
At the 2 April hearing of the trial where journalist Barış Pehlivan is charged with “insulting a public official” upon the complaint of Boğaziçi University Rector Naci İnci, Pehlivan and his lawyer Enes Hikmet Ermaner presented their defense. Pehlivan stated that his article was based on YÖK disciplinary board reports and the claims of Boğaziçi academic Tuna Tuğcu. He denied making any defamatory or insulting statements and requested that Tuna Tuğcu be heard as a witness. The court ruled to request relevant documents from the Higher Education Council and postponed the trial to 8 July 2025.
