8 ALTUĞ TANER AKÇAM v. TURKEY JUDGMENT had betrayed Turkey and vomited hate towards Turkey in all of his books and speeches. (b) Statements by the applicant and his family in response to the allegations in the media 37. By press releases, the applicant and his family condemned the allegations published by the Hürriyet newspaper and called for apology. They referred to the killing of Hrant Dink and said that the press should act with responsibility and sensibility when publishing articles containing allegations labelling someone as a “traitor”. They further warned against Turkey becoming a country where citizens could be lynched with the help of the press. (c) Defamation case brought against the Aydınlık magazine 38. By a judgment dated 8 November 2005 the Istanbul Civil Court of First Instance dismissed the applicant’s claims for non-pecuniary damage. The court held that even though the words used and allegations made by the defendants were offensive they were within the limits of permissible criticism. This judgment was confirmed by a Court of Cassation decision dated 14 March 2007. (d) The case against the Hürriyet newspaper 39. On 26 July 2007 the applicant brought an action in the Ankara Civil Court of First Instance requesting the court to order the Hürriyet newspaper to publish a letter of correction in response to the offensive articles published on 21, 22 and 23 June 2007. By a decision dated 30 July 2007 the court dismissed the applicant’s request. It held that even though the criticism contained in the impugned articles was harsh in tone, it was covered by the right to freedom of expression enjoyed by the press in a pluralist democracy. 40. On 24 November 2007 the Taraf newspaper published an article criticising the attitude of the judiciary in regard to the media campaign against the applicant. (e) Hate mail and death threats against the applicant 41. The applicant claimed that he had received hate mail from unknown persons. He submitted a copy of an e-mail sent by a person insulting him and threatening him with death as a result of his views on the Armenian issue. (f) Media support for the applicant 42. Between 9 and 23 July 2007 a number of articles were published on internet portals and in magazines and newspapers criticising the attacks against the applicant and expressing support for him.