A banner depicting Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in a Hitler-like mustache resulted in 3 insult cases across Turkey with different procedures.
The situation came into surface as Justice Ministry approved the prosecution of People’s Communist Party of Turkey (HTKP) for charges related to “insulting the president of Turkey”.
Allegedly caught while hanging banners on a public bridge in Izmir on 28 August 2014, defendants Erkan Altuner, Zeki Çetin and Aytaç Örtücü facing up to 4.5 years of prison for violating Turkish Penal Code Article 299/2.
The first trial was set to April 20 in Izmir 24th Assize Court.
On the other hand, the same banner was tried by two different courts in 2014.
The first case was launched in Istanbul with district prosecutors issued a nolle prosequi against 5 individuals who were caught by the police while hanging banners on the same day as “no elements of insult against the president” have been found.
The second case, however, resulted in the HTKP members Mehmet Birtan Altan, Bilge Kağan Kazanç and Berkay Akman having to pay a fine of 7,000 liras each. (AS/BM)
* Click here to read the article in Turkish.
