Journalist Appeals Motion Sentence

Sabri Ejder Ozic, the former head of the local Radio Dunya, has been sentenced to a year in prison for insulting the TBMM. Ozic was accused of saying, This parliament is terrorist. Ozics lawyer Meric has appealed the court decision.

Erol Önderoğlu

Sabri Ejder Ozic, former head of "Radio Dunya" in the province of Adana, has appealed a court decision to sentence him to a year in prison for "insulting" the Turkish parliament.

Ozic is also a senior official of the Free Society Party (Free Party). He was sentenced to a year in prison because of a program he aired on February 24, 2003 when the Turkish government asked authorization from the parliament to send Turkish troops to Iraq and to let U.S. troops into Turkey.

He was charged with "insulting the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) at a local court.

Prosecutor Erten Tamoglu had said that Ozic had insulted the TBMM by saying "TBMM is terrorist," and asked for the court to convict him.

Ozic's lawyer did not accept the accusation.

He said Ozic had said, "This parliament is terrorist," but added that the sentence continued as, "if they approve the Iraq motion."

He added the motion was not approved by the parliament.

In his program called "Captain's Journal," Ozic underlined that an intervention in Iraq would not be legitimate, and like every illegitimate action, it would amount to a terrorist action.

Ozic also added that Turkey's President Ahmet Necdet Sezer had also advocated that an intervention in Iraq would not be legitimate without a U.N. mandate. (EO/BB/EA/NM)

Origin

BÄ°A News Center

Erol Önderoğlu

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A graduate of the French Language and Literature Department at İstanbul University. He has served as the Turkey representative for the international organization Reporters Without...

A graduate of the French Language and Literature Department at İstanbul University. He has served as the Turkey representative for the international organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF), where he began as a reporter in 1996. Since 1999, he has worked at bianet, a project of the IPS Communication Foundation, as the coordinator of the Legal Support Desk, editor for freedom of expression, and editor-in-chief. He has authored more than 4,800 signed news articles and opinion pieces. He has also written for Bizim Gazete and the journal Güncel Hukuk. He currently prepares the Media Monitoring Reports at bianet.