Turkish court gives jail sentence to woman for ‘insulting President’ in street interview

Duvar English

An İzmir court sentenced Dilruba Kayserilioğlu, who became known after getting arrested for her remarks in a street interview, to 11 months and 20 days in prison for “insulting” President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, ANKA News Agency reported on Oct. 31.

During the trial regarding her remarks in a street interview, Kayserilioğlu said, “As a young woman, I felt insecure because of (quitting) the Istanbul Convention, as a pet owner I was affected by the law on animals, and as a social media user I was affected by the closure of social media (Instagram).”

“In the 21st century, I think shutting down social media is the equivalent of burning books. My statements were not directed at a person. I cannot be punished for words that did not come out of my mouth. I did not call (Erdoğan) a dictator. When I said one-man rule, what I meant by that was criticizing the transition from the parliamentary system to the presidential system,” she added.

“My remarks were not directed against a person, they were meant to criticize the government, as a voting citizen I have the right to criticize the government I voted for or against, I demand my acquittal,” she noted.

She was previously given another 7.5 months in prison for “insulting a segment of the public” over the same remarks. She was acquitted on the charge of  “inciting people to hatred and hostility.”

Both of her sentences are postponed. 

Kayserilioğlu was arrested on Aug. 12 in the Aegean province of İzmir for 18 days after her remarks in a street interview regarding the stray dog bill went viral.

The street interview format had been on the radar of media watchdog RTÜK President Ebubekir Şahin prior to Kayserilioğlu's arrest. Şahin recently announced that new regulations would be introduced regarding street interviews broadcast on YouTube.