Ankara - A Turkish court fined a leading newspaper Thursday for insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan while a top model went on trial on similar charges, as controversy grows over eroding freedoms ahead of June elections.
An Ankara court deemed that a column last year by one of the Hurriyet daily's star commentators, Mehmet Yilmaz, was an "attack on the personal rights" of Erdogan.
It ordered the newspaper's chairwoman and Yilmaz himself to pay 20,000 lira ($7,760) in damages to Erdogan, whose lawyers had requested 100,000 lira in the civil case, the official Anatolia news agency reported.
The report gave no details on the nature of the column dated August 25, 2014. But on that day, Hurriyet had published a lengthy article by Yilmaz recalling extensive corruption accusations against Erdogan, two weeks after his victory in presidential elections.
The cases come amid growing concern over the numbers of journalists, bloggers and ordinary people who are being taken to court on charges of insulting Erdogan and other top officials.
In a case that has become symbolic of such legal proceedings, model and former Miss Turkey beauty queen Merve Buyuksarac went on trial Thursday on charges of insulting Erdogan, the Radikal online newspaper reported.
Erdogan's legal team had lodged a complaint against Buyuksarac, 26, for posting a satirical poem on her Instagram page. She faces up to two years in jail if found guilty, according to the report.
Buyuksarac was not in court but was represented by her lawyer, who said he would provide a doctor's report as the model was unwell. The hearing was adjourned.
AFP
