Journalist Hayko Bağdat acquitted in retrial after top court rules freedom of expression was violated

Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA) | Medya ve Hukuk Çalışmaları Derneği

Journalist and writer Hayko Bağdat was acquitted in a retrial on charges of “insulting” the former general manager of Turkey’s İşbank, Adnan Bali, after the Constitutional Court ruled that his conviction had violated his freedom of expression. The acquittal was issued at the first hearing of the retrial, held at Istanbul’s 55th Criminal Court of First Instance. Bağdat, who resides abroad, did not attend the hearing. His lawyer, Didare Hazal Sürmeli from the Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA) Legal Unit, appeared in court alongside Adnan Bali’s attorney. Following identity verification, Sürmeli stated, “Our client resides abroad and there is no need to take his statement again. The Constitutional Court has already ruled that there was a direct violation of freedom of expression. We request an immediate acquittal based on this.” Bali’s lawyer, however, called for Bağdat to be punished. The prosecutor, presenting their final opinion, also requested Bağdat’s acquittal. After hearing the attorneys’ final arguments, the judge ruled in favor of acquittal.

“The case dates back to 2018, when Hayko Bağdat quote-tweeted a post shared by the Turkish daily BirGün on Twitter (now X). The tweet included a news story quoting İşbank General Manager Adnan Bali saying, ‘People who don’t earn income in dollars or euros have no business with foreign currency.’”

The acquittal occurred at Istanbul’s 55th Criminal Court of First Instance. Bağdat’s 2018 action involved a quote-tweet of a BirGün post containing Bali’s remark about foreign currency earnings.

Author’s summary: Hayko Bağdat was acquitted in a retrial after the Constitutional Court found a violation of freedom of expression, with the court citing direct infringement and delivering an immediate acquittal at the first hearing.

Medya ve Hukuk Çalışmaları Derneği — 2025-11-21

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