Turkish court: Calling politician 'filth' not an insult

Turkey's Court of Cassation has overturned a lower court's ruling that found a social media user guilty of insulting a politician by calling them "pislik," a Turkish word meaning "filth" or "scum."

The case began when a citizen in Ankara used the term on social media against a politician. The politician filed a complaint, leading to a trial where the Ankara 41st Assize Court initially sentenced the user to six months in prison for insult. This conviction was upheld on appeal.

However, the Court of Cassation's 4th Criminal Chamber reviewed the case and reversed the conviction. The court stated that for an insult to be legally actionable, it must target a person's honor, dignity, or respectability with a concrete accusation of a specific act or behavior, or involve outright abuse.

The higher court clarified that not all harsh criticism or offensive language directed at individuals constitutes an insult. The ruling emphasized that the word "pislik" in this context was considered "unpleasant, rude, and impolite" rather than an insult that damages honor, dignity, or respectability. Therefore, the court found that the elements of the crime were not met in this instance, setting a precedent for political speech in Turkey.