Journalist Sönmez faces his fifth trial for insulting the President

Journalist and economist Mustafa Sönmez faces a new trial for insulting the President (Article 299 of the Turkish Penal Code). The indictment, prepared by public prosecutor İsmet Saçlı, accuses Sönmez for the fifth time under Article 299.

The charges in the indictment relate to three posts made on the platform then known as Twitter in 2016, 2018, and 2019. Sönmez's specific posts are as follows:

• August 2016: "The CHP administration, which until yesterday called Tayyip [Erdoğan] a dictator, a thief with a fake diploma, has decided to walk towards him. Which superior intelligence is guiding you?
• July 2018: "Tayyip [Erdoğan] in Bingöl, has put himself in Mursi's place, and he said "They will overthrow me too, the marauders... His chemistry is messed up... God, grant healing, what else can we say."
• May 2019: "Question: Who is called a cunning thief?" (Quoting a news article from Yurt Newspaper titled 'We will hopefully not leave the Istanbul elections to thieves,' reporting Erdogan's statement)

The prosecutor has requested a sentence of one to four years of imprisonment for Sönmez due to these posts. İstanbul Anatolian 30th Criminal Court of First Instance accepted the indictment and scheduled the trial for February 13, 2024.

"Futile occupation of the judiciary"

In his assessment given to bianet regarding the case, Sönmez stated, "An absurd indictment. The prosecutor has based the insult allegations on my posts from 2016, 2018, and 2019. Has it only occurred to them today seven years after the alleged insult? No sensible judge would take such an indictment seriously. It's a futile occupation of the judiciary. I have been acquitted of similar indictments before. Why should this be any different?"

"An untouchable President and citizens held accountable for every criticism"

Erol Önderoğlu, the Turkey Representative of Reporters Without Borders (RSF), commented, "This regulation, namely Article 299 of the Turkish Penal Code, symbolizes the inequality between an untouchable President in the political and social environment and citizens who are held accountable for every word and criticism. The Constitutional Court should have confirmed the unconstitutionality of this article years ago, but in this period where the Constitutional Court is under threat, criticizing may no longer have any meaning. As RSF, we continue to emphasize that this regulation resulting in the trial of hundreds of journalists, with 74 of them being convicted, is entirely antidemocratic."

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 (HA/PE)