Büşra Genel
Journalist Mehmet Oflaz rejected accusations that he violated the confidentiality of an investigation, telling a court in central Turkey that his news report was based on official documents and did not rely on any secret sources.
The hearing, held at the Konya Criminal Court of First Instance, is part of a case launched after Oflaz’s January 22, 2024 article in Cumhuriyet newspaper about an investigation into the disappearance of 7,500 tons of grain from the Turkish Grain Board (TMO). Oflaz is charged with “violating the confidentiality of an investigation” under Article 285 of the Turkish Penal Code and faces a potential prison sentence of one to three years.
The case was monitored by observers from the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA), representatives of the Journalists’ Union of Turkey, and a number of volunteer lawyers. Oflaz and his co-defendant Adnan Okur, a Central Executive Committee (MYK) member of the leftist People's Liberation Party (HKP), were present with their attorneys.
In his defense statement, Okur addressed the charge of “defamation” against him. He said the criminal complaint that became the subject of the news report was consistent with publicly available information and was based on reports from Turkey’s Court of Accounts, the country’s top audit institution.
“The complaint, prepared by legal experts and submitted under my name due to my role in the party, is not fabricated,” said Okur. “The claim that 67 million lira worth of wheat went missing from TMO was widely reported on November 24, 2023. My press statement included no defamatory remarks. I reject the charges and request acquittal.”
Journalist Oflaz, who spoke after Okur, emphasized his duty to inform the public and said the report in question did not breach any confidentiality order.
“I’m a journalist working to provide accurate information to the public,” Oflaz said in his defense statement. “The story published in Cumhuriyet was not based on any confidential source. It was about a decision made by the prosecutor’s office. My sole purpose in preparing the story was to inform the public about how the judiciary handled the disappearance of 7,500 tons of grain from TMO. This was not an opinion piece — it was a report backed by documents.”
Oflaz argued that such investigations involving public officials are matters of public concern. He invoked constitutional protections for press freedom and referenced Article 3 of Turkey’s Press Law.
“I gained no personal benefit from this reporting, and I did not violate confidentiality,” he said. “I request to be acquitted.”
The judge recorded the statements of the defendants and their lawyers before adjourning the hearing. The next session is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 1 at the Konya Criminal Court of First Instance.
Background
The case against Oflaz was launched over a news story titled “7,500 tons of grain stolen from TMO: Court of Cassation issues decision on Konya Governor Vahdettin Özkan”, published by Cumhuriyet on Jan. 22, 2024. In the report, Oflaz revealed that the Office of the Chief Public Prosecutor of the Court of Cassation had declined to proceed with a criminal complaint against then-Governor Vahdettin Özkan.
Following a complaint filed by Özkan, Oflaz was charged with violating the confidentiality of the investigation. Prosecutors are seeking a prison sentence of between one and three years.
