The Legal Consequences of Using a Satirical Style

Satire is a form of the presentation of reality which relies on distortion and deformation. The media make frequent use of satirical forms of expression. Freedom of expression, including satirical expression, is guaranteed in the Constitution and media law. On the other hand, the civil and penal law protect the individuals being criticized and satirized from unfair or spiteful targeting. As far as the missions of freedom of speech and guardian-of-democracy of the media are concerned, article No. 212 of the Penal Code raises some serious doubts as to its undemocratic nature. The article introduces prison sentences as a punishment for libel/slander, which might be used by the politicians to silence dissident journalists. The Civil Law is not so restrictive, however, the very fact of being sued can seriously damage the financial condition of a given newspaper/website, which in turn may lead to avoidance of tackling controversial issues and self-censorship.| It is surprising how poor courts are at analyzing satirical forms of expression, and how contradictory sentencing is in cases of a similar nature. The specificity of satirical forms of expression should become the subject of extensive debate among journalists and lawyers