Acquittal ruling for BirGün writer Zafer Arapkirli
BirGün writer Zafer Arapkirli, who was tried on charges of ‘insulting the President’ due to a social media post, has been acquitted.
The verdict hearing in the case against BirGün writer and BirGün TV presenter Zafer Arapkirli, who was tried on charges of ‘insulting the President,’ was held today at the 60th Criminal Court of First Instance in Çağlayan.
Zafer Arapkirli and his lawyers were present at the hearing.
In its opinion, the prosecution requested that Arapkirli be punished for the crime of ‘publicly insulting the President’.
When asked about his defence on the merits, Arapkirli stated, ‘There are no insulting sentences in the post in question. The reason I am being tried here is because we criticised a poorly run administration and, in the conflict between good and evil, we were on the side of good, so unjust lawsuits are being brought against us. I request my acquittal.’
ACQUITTAL DECISION
The court acquitted Zafer Arapkirli on the grounds that the legal elements of the alleged crime were not present.
WHAT HAS HAPPENED?
A case was filed against BirGün writer Zafer Arapkirli on charges of ‘insulting the President’ due to a social media post.
The investigation was launched after regime-friendly Turkey Newspaper writer Cem Küçük targeted Arapkirli's post.
Küçük had targeted Arapkirli, stating, ‘This man is writing these words with the President in mind... The police and prosecutors must do what is necessary.’
Note: This article is translated from the original article titled BirGün yazarı Zafer Arapkirli hakkında beraat kararı, published in BirGün newspaper on March 4, 2026.
