ISTANBUL (Armenpress) — There are 1845 cases pending against Turkish citizens for insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Those found guilty face one to four years of imprisonment, according to the Turkish criminal code.
The opposition accuses Erdogan of forcing dissenters into silence. Thus, famous people, journalists, and even schoolchildren have been prosecuted for insulting him.
Erdogan’s policy is reported to have more clear signs of an authoritarian management style. The current head of the state considers even scathing criticism to be an insult.
Hilal Kalafat, a journalist from the Turkish city of Afyon, for example, told Pravda.Ru that she was sentenced to 28 months of imprisonment because of her critical messages in Twitter, which had been perceived as a public insult to the president.
In another case, Turkish doctor Bilgin Çiftçi published a series of photos in his Twitter, placing those of Erdogan next to the Gollum character from The Lord of the Rings. Now he may face up to 2 years of imprisonment.
