May 18, 2017•Update: May 18, 2017
ISTANBUL
A court in Turkey has ordered the recall of history magazine "Derin Tarih"s (Deep History) May issue for insulting Turkey’s founding leader Mustafa Kemal Ataturk on Thursday.
The Bakirkoy 4th Criminal Court of Peace in Istanbul justified its decision by arguing the presence of insulting expressions against Ataturk in the magazine but did not specify the nature of said insult.
In another recent case, a prosecutor filed indictments on Wednesday against two people separately accused of insulting Ataturk.
Historian Suleyman Yesilyurt was remanded in custody last Friday over his claims made during a live TV broadcast. The second suspect, Hasan Akar, remains at large since the Bakirkoy court issued an arrest warrant for both last Thursday.
Turkey’s Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTUK) also fined a private television channel called TVNET on Wednesday after the show called Derin Tarih (Deep History) -- hosted by Yesilyurt -- was aired on May 6.
Another video made by Akar went viral after a Turkish TV network, Kanal D, broadcasted it on May 9.
According to RTUK, the latter television show tarnished the reputation of Ataturk by commenting on his private life and by using the names and photos of women he was allegedly romantically involved with.
The two men could face up to seven years in jail.
Istanbul's Bakirkoy Prosecutor's Office said the suspects were accused of “defamation of Ataturk’s memory” and “inciting people to hatred and hostility".
