Two Journalists May Face Prison in New Year

Yakup Önal, journalist of the "Sarköy's Voice" newspaper is still on trial, charged with insulting the Justice and Development Party's (AKP) mayor Can Gürsöy and two municipal councillors.

Offence taken at "Fairy Tales" 

The Sarköy Penal Court in the province of Tekirdag in Thrace has decided that an expert opinion is necessary in order to decide whether the journalist's article entitled "Fairy tales for adults- Pinocchio and the nine dwarves" represents a crime.

Court president Serkan İcöz has announced that the file will be sent to the Istanbul Duty Penal Court and the trial will be continued on 20 February 2008.

The newspaper had started a series called "President Pinocchio and the nine dwarves" on 20 July 2005. The story started, "Once upon a time...in a country, there was a president called Pinocchio in a coastal town called Sarki. Pinocchio had nine dwarves who approved all of his decisions like a suction pump."

The prosecution has demanded 10 years imprisonment, arguing that Önal has insulted the mayor and municipal councillors Olcay Yücel and Ercan Yücel.

First trial in 2006

The present case has been continuing for some time. On 21 November 2006, the Sarköy civil court of first instance had decided that the journalist had "gone beyond the limits of criticism" in his article about the fairy tales. However, it had not demanded any compensation payments.

The court had called on Önal to "end the unfair attacks" on mayor Gürsoy and had decided that the decree be published in the Sarköy newspaper in order that "third persons be informed" (Aticle 25/2 of the civil code). Önal had appealed against the decision.

Koyuncu criticised police force

In another case involving a journalist, Mustafa Koyuncu, responsible editor of the "Emirdag" newspaper in Afyonkarahisar, in the inner Aegean region, is still on trial for "insulting through the press".

Koyuncu had drawn attention to allegations of prostitution, beatings and insults at the police department.  The article in question, entitled "Should we have entered the EU like this? They are abusing their positions", was published on 12 March 2007. He spent a week in prison after being stopped in traffic on 13 March and arrested.

44 police officers have filed a complaint against him and he is facing a possible prison sentence and a demand for 440,000 YTL compensation.

The Emirdag Civil Court of First Instance and Penal Court decided on 15 November that the case would be continued on 30 January 2008. (EÖ/NZ/AG)