The İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has launched an investigation into well-known journalist Yılmaz Özdil over social media posts that allegedly insulted the state, according to a report by state-run Anadolu Agency.
The probe is being conducted under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code, which criminalizes “public denigration of the Turkish Nation, the State of the Republic of Turkey, and its institutions.”
Özdil, known for his secular-nationalist views, made a series of posts on social media following the PKK’s announcement of its dissolution yesterday.
“The Republic of Turkey has, as of this moment, lost its quality as a state,” Özdil wrote in one post.
In another post, he wrote, “We won on the ground, lost at the table. To those saying, ‘Good news, the PKK has disbanded,’ read tomorrow’s column in Sözcü newspaper carefully.”
The prosecutor’s office claims that Özdil’s comments targeted and demeaned the Turkish state. No official statement has yet been released by Özdil regarding the investigation. (TY/VK)
