Legal Action Taken Against 18,376 People Due to ‘Social Media’ This Year

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The Ministry of Interior released a statement today (31 December) regarding the operations conducted in 2018.

According to the statement which was released on the official website of the ministry, 42,406 social media accounts were investigated and legal action was taken against 18,376 persons.

The legal action was taken regarding these offenses:

"Propagandizing for a terrorist organization, promoting these organizations, declaring affiliation with terrorist organizations, inciting people to enmity and hatred, insulting state officials, attempting against state's indivisible integrity and people's life security, committing hate speech."

7 thousand detentions in one year

Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu made this statement on December 11 at the Cyber Crimes Workshop:

"We formed virtual patrols working 24/7 on the purpose of investigation of criminal content on the internet.

"Within this context, in 2018, 110 thousand social media accounts have been investigated, users of 45 thousand accounts have been identified, 7 thousand of them have been caught and sent to judicial authorities."

Legal action against 2,793 people in İstanbul

İstanbul General Directorate of Security, Combating Cyber Crimes Branch Directorate also released a statement, saying that legal action was taken against 2,793 people in relation with the following charges:

* 750 persons for propagandizing for a terrorist organization,

* 236 persons for insulting Atatürk's spiritual memory and state authorities,

* 507 persons for propagandizing for Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ), which is held responsible for the coup attempt on July 15, 2016,

* Provoking, driving people into hatred and animosity,

* 81 persons regarding crimes of smuggling,

* 16 persons for illegal arms sales and trade,

* 5 persons regarding suicide and suicide attempts,

* 440 persons for other crimes. (AS/VK)