Turkish Journalist Sentenced to 11 Months and 20 Days in Prison for Insulting Erdoğan

A correspondent for the Turkish newspaper Bir Gün, Barış İnce, has been sentenced to 11 months and 20 days in prison for insulting the president of the republic, according to Ermenihaber.

The case against İnce was opened in 2014, stemming from an article he authored. In the course of the proceedings, the journalist presented a self-defense statement to the court, which he also published in the press.

“My message is hidden in the initials of these lines,” İnce stated while sharing his speech. Using the principle of an acrostic, he had written “Thief Erdoğan” (Hırsız Erdoğan) with the first letters of the paragraphs in that text.

Following the publication of the text, a second case was initiated against Barış İnce on the same charges, in which the court found the journalist guilty. İnce appealed the verdict, after which the supreme court annulled it and scheduled new hearings.

On September 12, during the last hearing of the case, the court found İnce guilty again, sentencing him to nearly one year in prison. However, it is known that the execution of the sentence has been conditionally postponed.