Upon the criminal complaint of Hasan Yeşildağ, a person close to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, a lawsuit was filed against daily Sözcü columnist Yılmaz Özdil due to an article of his; he was charged with “public insult with an audio, written or visual message” as per the Article 125 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK).
The İstanbul Anadolu Criminal Court of First Instance accepted the indictment lodged by the İstanbul Anadolu Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. The trial will begin on March 9, 2023.
Yılmaz Özdil was facing charges over his article dated June 28, 2022 where he was commenting on the allegations made by crime group leader Sedat Peker (December 12).