On Wednesday, four media members from TV network, Kanal D were charged of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan over the controversial "Murderer Erdoğan" banner. The Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor's Office indicted the media men of five years and four months in prison.
Kanal D news presenter, İrfan Değirmenci; Editor-in-Chief Süleyman Sarılar; News Director, Fevzi Yeniçeri; and News Editor, Ali Ekber Aydın were indicted during the court hearing in Instanbul. The four members of Kanal D accused over the "Murderer Erdoğan" banner face up to five years of jail terms, En. Cihan reports. Under the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) Article 299, insulting the president is considered as a crime that could be punishable by one to four year sentence. The article also claims that if the crime was done through the public venue, the jail term will be lengthened by one-sixth.
Todays Zaman says that during the airing of "Kanal D Haber Günaydın" (Kanal D News Good Morning) on on Sept. 30, 2015, a banner that read "Murderer Erdoğan" appeared three times. During the program, Değirmenci introduced the report of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) leader Selahattin Demirtaş' speech in advance of the June 7, 2015 election. While reporting, the "Murderer Erdoğan" banner was seen in the background. The Kanal D employees are facing accusations of "insulting a public official by means of media."
Hurri Yet Daily News adds that the indictment of the four media men over the "Murderer Erdoğan" banner is supported by a clear evidence to insult the president. The indictment also claims that although the freedom of speech is essential in democratic societies, the law will not tolerate any exaggerated, offensive and insulting statements.
As of December 2015, 250 people were charged for offending Erdoğan. Under the Article 125 and 299, 42 journalists were indicted out of the 93 criminal cases.
