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The İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has opened an ex officio investigation against journalist Can Dündar for "insulting the president" and "insulting the Turkish nation and the state of the Republic of Türkiye."
The investigation concerns a YouTube video where Dündar comments on recent allegations of government corruption.
Recalling an article by the late journalist Uğur Mumcu, where he wrote, "Young kids recruited into religious orders and communities will become generals and revolt against the republic in 30 years," Dündar said, "Mumcu was killed two days after writing this article."
"The children raised by those orders have become judges, prosecutors, sub-governors, and generals, and they are undermining the republic," he said.
Dündar, who received a prison sentence for "obtaining classified information" in 2015, has been living in Germany since mid-2016.
Trials for 'insulting the president'Since 2014, when Erdoğan was elected the president, investigations have been launched against over 160 thousand people for "insulting the President". More than 35 thousand turned into court cases. In these trials, over 38 thousand people and more than a thousand children appeared before the judge. The number of cases during Erdoğan's first 4-year term in office increased by 19.5 times and by 2,052 percent when compared to the term of former President Abdullah Gül. In the trials, 12 thousand 881 people have been convicted, 3 thousand 625 people, including 10 children, have been sentenced to prison. In 2020 alone, 45 thousand investigations were launched against people on the charge of "insulting the President" and lawsuits were filed against 9 thousand 773 people as a result of these investigations. According to the BİA Media Monitoring Report published on January 10, 2022, and covering the months of October-November-December 2021, at least 22 journalists and cartoonists were faced with this charge in this period. According to the BİA Media Monitoring 2021 Annual Report, from August 2014, when Erdoğan was elected the President, to January 1, 2022, at least 70 journalists were given prison sentences, deferred prison sentences and/or fines for "insulting the President". Article 299 of the Turkish Penal Code A person convicted of "insulting the president" as per the Article 299 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) is sentenced to 1 year to 4 years in prison. If the offense is committed publicly, the sentence is increased by one sixth. Prosecution on this charge is subject to the permission of the Justice Ministry. However, it is regarded as a formality and it is not known, according to the reports, whether there is any person for whom no permission has been granted by the Ministry to be prosecuted on this charge. |
(HA/VK)
