Two hundred seven minors were convicted in Turkey in 2025 on charges of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan or the government under laws critics say are used to restrict freedom of expression.
According to the BirGün daily, 309 minors were prosecuted during the year under two provisions, Article 299 (insulting the president) and Article 301 (insulting the state or its institutions) of the Turkish Penal Code, while 152 of the 207 convicted minors received suspended sentences.
Since Turkey adopted a presidential system in July 2018, the number of cases filed under Articles 299 and 301 have increased steadily, rising from 44,717 in 2020 to 59,780 in 2025. By comparison, 132 people were prosecuted for insulting the president In 2014, when Erdoğan was first elected president.
In Turkey, thousands of people are investigated, prosecuted or convicted each year for insulting president. Those found guilty can face up to four years in prison, with sentences increased by one-sixth if the offense is committed through media.
The law has long been criticized by human rights and press freedom advocates, who say it is used to prosecute journalists, politicians and ordinary citizens for expressing views critical of the president or even satirizing him indirectly.
In 2021 the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the law should be amended or repealed, stating that giving special protection to the president stifles public debate and chills dissent. International human rights organizations have also repeatedly urged the Turkish government to review the law, which they describe incompatible with democratic norms and international free speech standards.
