THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK TO INTERFERE FREE SPEECH AND TURKISH CONSTITUTIONAL LAW PRACTICE

Year 2023, Issue: 26, 59 - 88, 18.07.2023

İlyas Fırat Cengiz

Abstract

The right to free speech is an indispensable part of human rights which promotes the values such as democracy, self-fulfilment, the marketplace for ideas/search for truth, tolerance, and pluralism. These values reflect the interrelation between the right to free speech and other rights. Speech act has a consequentialist nature and might create harm to or conflict with the rights of others. This means the right to free speech is a qualified right rather than an absolute one. The process of limiting free speech is not well defined and tends to bear different meanings and necessities based on the situation, time, and place. The consequentialist nature of the speech act is subject to intervention. There are various theoretical justifications for why and how to make legitimate interventions on the right to free speech. Thus, harm, danger, threat, or crime caused by speech can be prevented based on theoretical justifications such as the militant democracy, the conflict of liberties, the true threat test, the clear and present danger test, the harm principle, and criminalising speech. First, these justifications will be evaluated. Following, Turkish jurisdiction is assessed as a case considering these justifications and to analyse how Turkish constitutional law justifies restricting the right to free speech.

Keywords

Freedom of Speech, Justifications to Interfere, Turkish Constitutional Law

İfade Özgürlüğünün Kısıtlanmasının Teorik Çerçevesi ve Türk Anayasa Hukukundaki Uygulaması

Abstract

İfade özgürlüğü diğer hakların uygulanmasının ayrılmaz bir parçası olarak demokrasi, bireyin kendini gerçekleştirmesi, fikirler piyasası/doğrunun arayışı, tolerans ve çoğulculuk gibi değerlerin gerçekleşmesini sağlamaktadır. Bu değerler ifade özgürlüğü ve diğer hakların karşılıklı ilişkisini yansıtması açısından çok önemlidir. Gerek bu ilişki gerekse de ifadelerin sonuçsal doğası sebebiyle ifadeler zarar, tehlike, tehdit, suç veya diğer haklarla bir çatışma doğurabilmektedir. Bunun anlamı ifade özgürlüğünün mutlak bir hak olmaktan ziyade kısıtlı/şartlı bir hak olması anlamına gelmektedir. Bu minvalde meşru bir kısıtlamanın yapılabilmesi için farklı yargı sistemlerince teorik gerekçeler geliştirilmiştir. İfade özgürlüğünün sınırlandırılma süreci yer, zaman, ve durum gibi unsurlara bağlı olarak farklı anlam ve bağlamda kullanılabilmektedir. İfadelerin sonuçsal doğası gereği sınırlandırılabilir olduğu bir gerçekliktir. Tüm bu nedenlerle, ifadelerin zarar, tehlike, tehdit veya suç oluşturmaları halinde nasıl sınırlanabileceği sorunsalı militan demokrasi, özgürlükler arası çatışma, açık ve mevcut tehlike testi, gerçek tehlike testi ve zarar prensibi gibi prensipler/gerekçeler ile değerlendirilmiştir. Ayrıca Türk Anayasa hukuku bir olay çalışması olarak, tarihsel olarak öne çıkan bu prensipler/gerekçeler dikkate alınarak değerlendirilmektedir. Turk hukuk sisteminin ifade özgürlüğünü hangi teorik gerekçelere dayandırdığı ele alınması gereken bir husutur.

Keywords

İfade Özgürlüğü, Kısıtlama Gerekçeleri, Türk Anayasa Hukuku

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