Turkish man detained for shouting ‘Erdoğan is thief’

Turkish police have detained a man who shouted “Erdoğan is a thief” in front of the Çağlayan Courthouse in Istanbul.

Sunday October 23 2022 06:05 am

Ferhat Yaşar / DUVAR

Turkish police on Oct. 21 detained a man who shouted “Erdoğan is a thief” in front of the Çağlayan Courthouse in Istanbul.

A man passing by Çağlayan Courthouse suddenly started to shout “Erdoğan is a thief, He will give an account of 17-25 December.”

Thereupon, the police detained and handcuffed the man, saying "Take him, take him, shut him up.” The police did not answer questions about who the detained person was.

Dec. 17-25, 2013 graft probes targeted four former ministers and their families, and are deemed as attempts to overthrow the government by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

At the time, then-PM Recep Tayyip Erdoğan blasted the probe as a plot engineered by the followers of the exiled U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gülen meant to topple Erdoğan’s ruling AKP-led government. Once close allies, ties between the two camps weakened in 2012 and 2013.