A court in Istanbul has fined journalist Melisa Gülbaş 7,080 Turkish lira ($220) for allegedly insulting a public official in connection with her reporting, Expression Interrupted reported.
The ruling came Thursday at the fourth hearing of Gülbaş’s trial at the Istanbul 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance, where she faced charges under Article 125/3 of the Turkish Penal Code for “insulting a public official.” Gülbaş did not attend the hearing, but lawyers for both sides were present.
The case stems from an article Gülbaş published on the Gerçek Gündem news website on December 18, 2023, titled “Attack on science by Boğaziçi management: They did not even give us a place to put any laboratory equipment. Who is Mehmet Turan?”
The report alleged that Boğaziçi University’s Applied Research Center for Advanced Technologies in Engineering (TETAM) was relocated to a small 45-square-meter space under the university’s trustee administration, forcing staff to move equipment in trash bags. It also included claims of harassment by Dr. Mehmet Turan, who was appointed to lead the TETAM project. Dr. Turan later filed a complaint, which led prosecutors to charge Gülbaş with insulting a public official over the report. After publication, a court ordered access to the article blocked.
Boğaziçi University has been under a government-appointed trustee administration since early 2021, when President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan appointed an outside rector to the institution, ending decades of internal elections. The move sparked ongoing protests by students and faculty, who say the appointments undermine academic independence and university autonomy.
At Thursday’s hearing the prosecutor reiterated a prior opinion seeking Gülbaş’s conviction, arguing that her reporting included unverified allegations unrelated to Turan’s official duties and was published with intent to insult.
Gülbaş’s lawyer, Bilge Batur countered that the article was based on public social media posts by Boğaziçi University professor Tuna Tuğcu and that the report contained no criminal elements. She requested Gülbaş’s acquittal.
The court found Gülbaş guilty and imposed a fine, citing the “manner in which the crime was committed” and the “severity of the damage and danger caused.” The sentence was suspended and will not be enforced unless Gülbaş commits another offense within a set period of time.
Press freedom organizations have long criticized the use of “insult” and “defamation” laws in Turkey, saying such charges are frequently used to silence journalists, critics and members of the opposition. Turkey ranks among the lowest countries for press freedom in Europe, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which ranked the country 158th out of 180 in its 2025 World Press Freedom Index.
