The Bakırköy 2nd Criminal Court in Istanbul has sentenced Mustafa Dolu, responsible editor for the Tercüman newspaper to an administrative fine for allowing the insult of two journalists in the newspaper.

A sentence of 90 days imprisonment was converted into a fine of 7,080 TL (around 3,300 Euros), roughly half of the amount each for the insult of journalist Perihan Mağden from Radikal newspaper and journalist Ece Temelkuran from Milliyet newspaper.

The court cited Article 125 of the Turkish Penal Code, saying that the honour and respectability of the two journalists had been damaged in the press.

The court sentence refers to two articles published in the Tercüman newspaper on 18 and 19 January 2008 and entitled “You Answer that Ugly Woman” and “These Women Have Lost Their Way” respectively.

The second article is related to a Turkish flag which high school students made from their own blood and sent to the then-General Staff Yaşar Büyükanit. He had shown the flag to journalists a week before, expressing his pride in the children. The Tercüman newspaper had even distributed promotional copies of this “flag” to its readers.

Reaction to "flag of blood"

Both Mağden and Temelkuran had reacted to the flag in their columns. On 15 January, Radikal newspaper columnist Mağden had written an article entitled “Flag of Blood”, in which she condemned the militarist, war-mongering and violent atmosphere which had inspired the children to such an act. She also condemned Büyükanit’s reaction. Her article ended: “No one should die on this soil anymore. There should be no more odes to being killed and killing in this country. Let there be no applause and tears for such pathological expressions on this soil. Let there be no more discourse of “martyrs.”

Temelkuran had written an article entitled “Bloodflag, Flagblood” in the Milliyet newspaper on 18 January, in which she had said: “If only this noise, which makes flags out of children and dead children out of flags, would end.”

Tercüman's reaction 

In an article entitled “These women have lost their way”, which included their photographs, the Tercüman newspaper said:

“While reactions against the flag-enemy Mağden are continuing, another ugly (person) has emerged. Ece Temelkuran has also had the cheek to insult the Turkish flag and has committed a crime (…). Reactions continue to flood in against Radikal newspaper journalist Perihan Mağden, whose name has been associated with polemics recently, and her ugly words, which are remote from a Turkish identity.”

Editor rejects accusation

Tercüman editor Mustafa Dolu spoke in his defence at the first hearing, claiming that the expression “ugly” was not intended to insult. He added that editor-in-chief Ufuk Büyükçelebi was above him in the newspaper hierarchy. It is possible that he will appeal. (EÖ/TK)