The case in which comedian Tuba Ulu was tried on charges of "inciting the public to hatred and hostility" due to a joke she made about the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent in a stand-up show was postponed until July 14 (today) after the prosecutor submitted his opinion requesting punishment. The decision was announced at the hearing of the case today.
Defending against the opinion on the merits, Ulu rejected the allegations against him and said: "I do not accept the allegations in the opinion that I took action to humiliate women. As a woman living in Turkey, I fought for women's rights in every field. I also made positive discrimination against women in my stand-up shows, I have always been on the side of women. I demand my acquittal."
Continuing his defense by emphasizing that he had no intention of committing a crime, Ulu said, "I do not accept the allegations in the indictment and the opinion on the merits. I have no intention of committing a crime. I never had any intention to humiliate or divide a segment of the public. On the contrary, I have always been unifying." he said.
The court that decided the case sentenced Tuba Ulu to 6 months in prison on the charge of "publicly insulting a segment of the public" (TCK 216/2). The sentence was reduced to 5 months, taking into account the defendant's attitude at the hearing. The court also decided to postpone the announcement of the verdict (HAGB).