Defendants: Cem Şimşek

Media Outlet and Position: Evrensel – Managing Editor

Accusations: Insulting the President

Possible sentence: 4 years 8 months

Court: Bakırköy 27. Criminal Court, İstanbul

Case Background:

Cem Şimşek, managing editor of daily Evrensel, is accused of “insulting the President” over an article where he evaluated German cartoonists’ drawings of Erdoğan. He is facing up to 4 years and 8 months in prison. The first hearing in this case will take place on October 10, 2019.

In a separate case, an investigation opened earlier against Evrensel and its managing editor Şimşek following an official complaint filed by Minister Albayrak’s lawyer about the article titled “Albayrak gives green light to an offensive economic agenda that affect workers”, published on July 13, 2018. Albayrak’s lawyers filed the case against the daily on the charges of “not publishing the correction and reply”, while accusing the editor of “insult”. Both charges are different in terms of criminal laws, and are to be evaluated in the same file although Evrensel lawyer requested to separate files.