The 3rd Legal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Appeals reversed the compensation decision against journalist/writer Yalçın Ergündoğan for his article titled “His disciples rose against Haydar Baş and published in daily “Birgün”.

Haydar Baş, president of the Independent Turkey Party and head of Kadiri religious order, had filed a lawsuit against Ergündoğan for attacking his personal rights through the abovementioned news article published on April 26, 2005 and asked for compensation in the amount of 5000 YTL (about 2500 Euro). 

Writer Ergündoğan will be retried on October 8

Although there was a trial process for the same article with three-year prison sentence demand, which had a scheduled hearing on September 18, Beyoğlu’s 4^th Criminal Court of Peace in Istanbul had already fined the author 1500 YTL (about 750 Euro)..

“Personal life of a president of a political party is everyone’s concern”

Therefore, Ergündoğan’s case will restart at Beyoğlu’s 4^th Civil Court of Peace on October 8.

The writer had said the following right before his sentence: “Now, is it not news to publish in an internet site (The Real Face of Haydar Baş) that the disciples of Haydar Baş, who is president of a political party, left him and why they left. It is with the publishing of this news that the subject was brought to public’s attention and a Republican People’s Party deputy had brought it to the Parliament’s agenda.” (EÖ/EZÖ/TB)