Social Media User Acquitted of Insulting Anadolu Agency Executives

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A social media user has been acquitted in the trial over a social media post criticizing the state-run Anadolu Agency's (AA) reporting on the parliamentary and presidential elections of June 24, 2018.

A lawsuit was filed against O.P. for "insulting a public officer" over a tweet where s/he likened the AA to a "terrorist organization."

The first hearing of the case was held today at İstanbul 33th Penal Court of First Instance.

Efkan Bolaç, the attorney of O.P., said in the hearing that while the AA should have apologized for what happened at that time, it filed a complaint. "The judiciary is kept busy with such an unnecessary case, a verdict of acquittal should be given immediately."

'The prosecutor needs to be trained'

Bolaç further said that the prosecutor should be "trained," reading Article 125 of the Turkish Penal Code "over and over again."

Article 125 regulates the offense of insult and makes it illegal to insult a public officer due to the performance of his public duty."

The indictment charged O.P. with openly and successively insulting a public officer, citing Law No. 57 on the Properties of Anadolu Agency. The law says the personnel of the AA is considered as public officers in the implementation of the Turkish Penal Code.

Erdem Erdemlioğlu, the Human Resources Manager at the AA, and Türker Çeltik, the Media Workers Union Chairperson, were the complainants in the case.

The court acquitted O.P. on the grounds that the legal elements of the charged offense did not occur.

The state-run news agency was heavily criticized because of its reporting of the live election results as the voting shares published by the AA and the opposition parties were different. The AA was accused of beginning to release results of the voting areas where the government party was thought to be strong. (AS/VK)