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ARTICLE · 17 MAY 2022

Turkish Constitutional Court Issues Decision On Freedom Of Expression

Esin Attorney Partnership
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During an event held by a political party, the Applicant gave a speech targeting the current minister of Foreign Affairs.

TurkeyGovernment, Public Sector
Ilay Yilmaz
Ilay Yilmaz
Can Sozer
Can Sozer
Yigit Acar
Yigit Acar
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Recent development

The Turkish Constitutional Court's new decision, No. 2019/19680 dated 22 February 2022, on the violation of a politician applicant's ("Applicant") freedom of expression was published in the Official Gazette on 13 April 2022. The Constitutional Court evaluated the limits of criticism toward political figures. The decision is available in Turkish here.

Background

During an event held by a political party, the Applicant gave a speech targeting the current minister of Foreign Affairs. The minister filed a compensation claim on the grounds that the speech given by the Applicant constitutes an attack on his personal rights. The court of first instance accepted the compensation claim by determining that the expression "America's postal horse" constitutes an insult. The Court of Appeals reversed the judgement, but the court of first instance stood by its decision. The Supreme Court of Appeals agreed with the decision of the court of first instance.

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