Deniz Tekin
A man who attacked a Rûdaw TV news crew in the southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakır has been sentenced to prison for two separate offenses, the court ruled on Tuesday. Mesut Kızmaz was handed a five-month sentence for making threats and an additional two months and 15 days for insults. The journalists' lawyer said they plan to appeal the verdict.
The second hearing of the case took place at Diyarbakır’s 19th Criminal Court of First Instance, where Rûdaw TV’s Diyarbakır Bureau Chief Maşallah Dekak, cameraman Mehmet Kanevi, and their attorney Rehşan Bataray Saman were present. Kızmaz attended the hearing via the judicial video-conferencing system SEGBİS. The session was observed by Felat Bozarslan, head of the Southeastern Journalists Association (GGC), along with several other journalists.
In his defense statement, Kızmaz denied the charges. Identifying himself as a technician at the state-owned defense company ASELSAN, he claimed he reacted after seeing Rûdaw TV refer to Diyarbakır and the surrounding region as “Kurdistan.” He said, “I have no hatred toward the Kurdish language; I spoke out to defend the country.” He also alleged that the journalists had “threatened” him by pointing a microphone at him.
Defense lawyer Rehşan Bataray Saman emphasized that the assault was clearly documented in video recordings, stating, “This was not just an insult, but also an expression of intolerance toward the Kurdish language.” She argued that Kızmaz should also be prosecuted for “inciting hatred and enmity among the public.”
The prosecutor, in the final opinion on the case, requested Kızmaz be punished for both “threat” and “insult” charges. The court found him guilty and sentenced him accordingly. Although the defendant has prior convictions for similar offenses, the court issued the sentences at the minimum level prescribed by law. The prison terms were not suspended.
Following the hearing, attorney Rehşan Bataray Saman told reporters, “We will take the decision to the appeals court.”
What happened?
The attack occurred on Jan. 12, 2024, when Rûdaw TV’s Maşallah Dekak and cameraman Mehmet Kanevi were reporting in front of the historic Ulu Mosque in Diyarbakır, a city in Turkey’s predominantly Kurdish southeast. They were subjected to both verbal and physical assault by Mesut Kızmaz.
Although Kızmaz was briefly detained, prosecutors initially decided not to pursue charges, citing “insufficient evidence.” However, an appeal by the journalists’ legal team led to the reopening of the case. An indictment was filed charging Kızmaz with “threat” and “insult,” and the court accepted the journalists as complainants in the case.
