The European Court of Human Rights has ruled Turkey had breached the right to a fair hearing and freedom of expression in the cases of two journalists, Hasan Karakaya and Abdurrahman Dilipak, Hürriyet Daily News reports.
The case has concerned a judgment against Karakaya and Dilipak for writing articles that were considered offensive toward a high-ranking army official.
“The Court found that Dilipak and Karakaya had not been given the opportunity to participate in the civil proceedings against them or to defend their interests,” the decision reads. It observed that the articles in question were part of a debate on the political role of the army and the remarks from the two journalists clearly fell within a matter of general interest. Lastly, the particularly significant award of damages against the two journalists was a sanction that would be likely to have a chilling effect, not only on the applicants themselves, but on all journalists.”
