Podcast16-year-old child faces lawsuit over ‘insulting President’ in Turkey, signs on bail every week
A 16-year-old child in Turkey’s Istanbul province is facing a lawsuit over “insulting” President Erdoğan, the daily BirGün reported. The child has been signing at a police station every week since May as a control measure.
Duvar English
A 16-year-old child is facing a lawsuit over “insulting the President” in Turkey, the daily BirGün reported on Aug. 29.
Accordingly, the child, living in Istanbul, allegedly swore while the motorcade of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was passing by in May.
Staying under detention for one day, the child said they were scared and reacted to the speeding vehicle as they had an accident six months ago prior to the incident.
“I did not know that any state official, including the President, would be there. I did not insult any state official, including the President of the Republic of Turkey. I am a high school student and I have never been involved in a crime. My reaction was misunderstood because of the trauma I had experienced before and I did not swear. I was just scared and reacted,” the child said in their testimony.
An Istanbul court released the child under judicial control measures, and imposed an international travel ban.
Moreover, the child has been signing at a police station every week since May.
An indictment has been prepared in August, and the prosecutor of the case demanded that the child be sentenced over “insulting the President.”
972 children faced investigation last year under articles 299-301 of the Turkish Penal Code, which includes “insulting the President.”
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