MEDIA MONITORING DATABASE
Insulting the President and Defamation Case – İsmail Arı
RELATED PERSON OR INSTITUTION
İsmail Arı
CITY
İstanbul
YEAR OF INTERFERENCE
2025
LAST UPDATED
08/12/2025
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
Public Prosecution Offices
File a criminal case
THE LEGAL GROUNDS FOR INTERFERENCE
Turkish Penal Code
Art. 217/A

Following a complaint filed by the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) regarding the article titled “Why is the RTÜK leg of the scandal not investigated?”, published on 30 August 2025, about BirGün journalist İsmail Arı, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office issued an indictment. On 27 November 2025, the prosecutor requested that Arı be penalized for “insulting a public official due to their duty,” “defamation,” and “public dissemination of misleading information.”

In the case filed at the Istanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance, the prosecution seeks up to 9 years of imprisonment for Arı. RTÜK Chair Ebubekir Şahin is listed as the complainant in the case. The first hearing is scheduled for 9 June 2026.