Aydın Doğan files complaint against three newspapers for defamation

ISTANBUL

Aydın Doğan

Doğan Holding’s honorary chairman Aydın Doğan has filed complaints against three newspapers over reports of phone call recordings leaked to social media, in which his name was also mentioned.

Lawyers representing Doğan said they were suing dailies Sabah, Takvim and Yeni Akit for “defamation,” “breach of privacy” and “breach of communication secrecy.”

“Our client has been in the media sector for almost 40 years and he has never used the newspaper he owned for political means. He has had no dirty alliances with anyone, contrary to the claims of the litigious party, and has never orientated its publication policies [with respect to political means],” lawyers said in the file deposed to the Istanbul Public Prosecutor’s Office.

The articles of the newspaper were based on recordings of a conversation between Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen and a TV manager.

“Any published article should be true, up-to-date and take consideration in general interest. None of these features appear in the articles that [prompted] the complaint, but they have been voluntarily penned to mislead the public, directing its hatred against our client,” the complaint file also said.

Doğan had himself issued a statement Feb. 18, stating a phone call between Gülen and a TV manager was apparently wiretapped using illegal means.

“I cannot fully remember some of the remarks attributed to me in the recordings. However, I can easily say those remarks don’t reflect my manner of speaking,” Doğan said in his statement, announcing legal proceedings against the claims.

“I would like to make it clear, we will take legal action against the untruthful reports based on these recordings,” he added.