Prosecutor requests Deniz Yücel be sentenced for ‘insulting a public official’
The fifth hearing of the trial where PEN Germany’s President and Die Welt correspondent Deniz Yücel whom MLSA represents in court, faces “insulting a public official” charge was held at İstanbul 24th Criminal Court of First Instance today. The prosecutor requested that Deniz Yücel be sentenced for ‘insulting a public official’. The court’s accepted Yücel’s lawyers' request for additional time and adjourned the trial until December 28.
The hearing started an hour late because of the workload of the court. Deniz Yücel, who lives abroad, did not attend the hearing while his lawyers were present at the courtroom.
Yücel’s lawyers were first to speak at the hearing and they stated that they agree with their client’s defense which was submitted to the court before the previous hearing.
The prosecutor's stated that they do not request that prosecution be expanded and that he is ready to present his final opinion. In his opinion, the prosecutor requested that Yücel be sentenced for "insulting a public official" on the grounds that the posts he had shared on his personal account about complainant Hasan Yılmaz are an attack on the dignity and the honor of the complainant.
After the prosecutor, Yücel’s lawyers requested additional time to prepare their statements against the prosecution’s opinion.
The court's accepted Yücel's lawyers' request for additional time and adjourned the trial.