Turkish journalist fined $10,000 for insulting Erdogan

ISTANBUL

An Istanbul court on Monday ruled Cumhuriyet Editor-in-Chief Can Dundar must pay nearly 30,000 Turkish liras (around $10,000) for insulting current President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, his son Bilal Erdogan, and a number of businessmen.

The court found Dundar guilty of “insulting public figures” over comments he made in August 2014, when Erdogan was still Turkey’s prime minister.

Dundar had also faced charges of "breaching confidentiality" over releasing reports on a December 2013 graft probe, but the same court acquitted him of those charges on Monday.

The rulings come as Dundar is facing separate charges of "espionage, attempting to overthrow the government, and revealing state secrets" over a story accusing the government of attempting to deliver arms to Syria.

The prosecution has called for Dundar and Cumhuriyet's Ankara bureau chief Erdem Gul, who were held in prison for three months in the runup to the trial, to be sentenced to two life terms with an extra 30 years each.

They were released from prison after the Constitutional Court ruled their rights had been violated. Erdogan criticized the ruling, saying the court had acted against the country’s interests.

ISTANBUL

The court found Dundar guilty of “insulting public figures” over comments he made in August 2014, when Erdogan was still Turkey’s prime minister.

Dundar had also faced charges of "breaching confidentiality" over releasing reports on a December 2013 graft probe, but the same court acquitted him of those charges on Monday.

They were released from prison after the Constitutional Court ruled their rights had been violated. Erdogan criticized the ruling, saying the court had acted against the country’s interests.