PM Critic Facebook User Fined

Zonguldak District Judge sentenced İbrahim Damatoğlu to a 6.080 Lira fine, a verdict that was later on converted to 5 years of court supervision. 

Değişim, a Zonguldak based local newspaper, wrote that Damatoğlu denied charges and claimed to have simply shared a post on Facebook.

"We appealed the verdict, because it is not clear who browsed my Facebook page and how the evidence was collected. It was without a judge or attorney's consent. We objected to this since the trial began," Damatoğlu said.

"It is not possible to appeal the verdict unless we take it to a higher court. This is what we'll do next," Damatoğlu said. "This was an insult file suit. I have a couple of other suits, too."

Damatoğlu, an active communication workers' union member, previously suffered salary cuts and promotion bans. 

A previous Turkish Post Office investigation that found Damatoğlu guilty for "insulting state officers", resulted in his forced assignment to Ordu and Bartin Provinces. (EKN)