Turkey Arrests Teen for ‘Insulting’ Erdogan
December 25, 2014Police in Turkey have arrested a 16-year-old student on charges of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the BBC reported on Thursday, citing local media.
He was reportedly arrested on Wednesday after criticizing the ruling AK Party during a speech at a student protest in the central Anatolian city of Konya.
The teenager could face up to four years in prison if found guilty, noted the BBC.
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu defended the arrest, saying the presidential office “needs to be shown respect”.
The boy’s speech, given to commemorate the killing of a Turkish soldier by Islamists in the 1920s, was recorded on video and broadcast by the Dogan news agency.
In it, he defends secularism and the principles of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the modern Turkish republic.
He also singled out President Erdogan for criticism over recent corruption allegations, as the crowd chanted “everywhere is bribery, everywhere is corruption”.
The Hurriyet newspaper said the boy was believed to be a member of a leftist organization, but he denies having links with any political party.
Speaking to prosecutors, the boy said, “I’ve made the statement in question. I have no intent to insult.”
The teenager has pleaded not guilty and his lawyers have lodged an appeal against the charges.
The arrest comes just over a week after Turkish police arrested the editor of Turkey’s biggest-selling newspaper and 26 others in raids on supporters of Fethullah Gulen, an American-based cleric who has become Erdogan’s top foe.
Gulen is an influential former ally of Erdogan whom the Turkish strongman accuses of running a parallel state from abroad.
The crackdown came almost a year to the day after Erdogan’s government was rocked by stunning corruption allegations that the authorities denied and blamed on Gulen.
The corruption probe, opened on December 17, 2013, saw the arrests of dozens of leading businessmen and political figures close to Erdogan, who was prime minister at the time.
Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) came under mounting pressure during that time, especially when audio recordings were leaked in which Erdogan and his son allegedly discuss how to hide vast sums of money.
In response to the leaked recordings, Erdogan threatened to ban websites such as YouTube and Facebook.
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