The International Defense Consultancy Inc. (SADAT) filed a lawsuit against Evrensel newspaper and journalist Yusuf Karadaş on the grounds that “they caused losses of commercial reputation” and demanded 25 thousand TRY in non-pecuniary damages.
The lawsuit was filed at the Büyükçekmece 3rd Civil Court of First Instance over the news report of Yusuf Karadaş published by Evrensel with the title “The dark organization of the government, SADAT” on October 19, 2021.
In its petition to the court, SADAT indicated that the organization was not a special war apparatus established by the government and argued that the information in the news report directly attacked the company’s personality rights. SADAT’s lawyers wrote in their petition: “The article in dispute is contrary to the truth and leads to the loss of commercial reputation on the part of the company; the defendant disrupted the business activities of the company” (April 13).
At the hearing held on October 17, 2022, the newspaper’s lawyer Devrim Avcı said that the news fell within press freedom. Partly accepting the case, the court sentenced the newspaper to 15 thousand TRY in non-pecuniary damages (October 17).
The first hearing in the lawsuit filed against Evrensel newspaper on charge of “violation of personal rights” upon the complaint filed by Adnan Tanrıverdi, the founder of the International Defense Consultancy Company known by the acronym SADAT, was held at the Bakırköy 4th Commercial Court of First Instance on 10 September 2024. SADAT’s lawyer asked for the case to be accepted, while Evrensel‘s lawyer Devrim Avcı asked for it to be dismissed on the grounds of “statute of limitations.” The hearing was adjourned until 28 January 2025 (September 10th).
