A ruling by the Turkish Constitutional Court earlier this month brought a massive defamation campaign against a former minister to the spotlight.
The top court sided with former Minister of Treasury and Finance Berat Albayrak in a complaint filed by main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP).
The CHP has claimed that the compensation they were ordered to pay Albayrak by a lower court, over their campaign against the minister, was a violation of freedom of expression. However, the court, in a verdict issued on June 11, said a just balance was needed between freedom of expression and safeguarding individuals’ reputation and honor. It approved lower court’s verdict on compensation, citing that the CHP had failed to link the issue of declining reserves of the Turkish central bank to Albayrak and this, in turn, constituted defamation.
The CHP launched a campaign against Albayrak in 2021 under the motto of “Where is 128 billions of dollars?” claiming the central bank was ordered to spend that amount to keep the interest rates low.
Authorities have repeatedly denied the claim but the CHP adhered to the allegations, adorning billboards with the campaign posters and claiming that the dollars were wasted. Then-CHP Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, his successor Özgür Özel, and former Treasury Undersecretary and CHP lawmaker Faik Öztrak were behind the campaign.
