Erdoğan sued 38,581 people for 'insulting the president' in six years

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President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has filed 38,581 lawsuits for "insulting the president" between 2014 and 2020, according to a report by an opposition deputy.

The five presidents before him had filed 1,816 cases in total, said main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) deputy Gülizar Biçer-Karaca.

Erdoğan's predecessor Abdullah Gül, who was also a member of the AKP, filed 848 cases in seven years, marking a 420 percent increase from Ahmet Necdet Sezer's term in office.

During Erdoğan's term, the number of cases filed increased by 2,052 percent.

In the last three years;

• 2,775 of the 6,270 people sued were convicted in 2018
• 4,291 of the 13,990 people sued were convicted in 2019
• 3,665 of the 9,773 people sued were convicted in 2020.

Kenan Evren, the leader of the 1980 military coup who served as the president between 1980 and 1989, had sued 340 people for insulting the president.

Evren's successors, Turgut Özal, Süleyman Demirel and Ahmet Necdet Sezer had filed 207, 163 and 158 cases, respectively. 

CLICK - Nearly 10,000 people, including 290 children, stood trial for 'insulting the president' in 2020

CLICK - Eighteen journalists faced a total of 84 years in prison for 'insulting Erdoğan' in three months

CLICK - 36,000 investigations opened for 'insulting Erdoğan' in 2019

(TP/VK)