A court in Turkey remanded a 17-year-Turkey detains teen for insulting President Erdogan on Facebookold construction worker today on charges of “insulting” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Facebook.
It’s a recent case in which young persons have been charged to courts in Turkey on similar charges, as activists express growing alarm over the limits on freedom of expression under Erdogan.
The boy, identified as F.E., was detained at his home in western Tekirdag province after someone had called the police hotline informing them about his posts on Facebook.
It was stated that he court in Tekirdag placed him in pre-trial detention. Details on tge contents of his posts were not given.
Critics say Erdogan has become highly authoritative since he became the president in August 2014 after more than a decade as prime minister and the number of prosecutions for insulting him has risen.
Students, journalists and even a former Miss Turkey beauty queen has been targeted.
Last December, a 17-year-old was arrested in his classroom and held for days on the same charge and he was later given an 11-month suspended sentence.
In November, two of Turkey’s well-known journalists, Cumhuriyet newspaper’s editor-in-chief, Can Dundar and its Ankara bureau, chief Erdem Gul were arrested on spying charges in a case that has caused global concern.
