Turkish prosecutors are seeking up to eight years in prison for Hüseyin Kocabıyık, a former lawmaker from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) who was arrested on October 7 after publicly criticizing President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkish media reported.
According to the indictment, in which President Erdoğan is listed as the complainant, Kocabıyık is charged with “repeatedly and publicly insulting the president.” The İstanbul 46th Criminal Court of First Instance accepted the indictment and scheduled the first hearing on December 16.
The offense of “insulting the president” carries a prison sentence of up to four years, which can be increased by one sixth if committed publicly and by an additional three-fourths if the alleged insult is made repeatedly.
Kocabıyık was taken into custody a day after the Cumhuriyet daily published an interview in which he described the AKP as a network of favoritism and patronage that rewards loyalty with government positions or benefits, leaving no room for dissent.
He was expelled from the AKP earlier this year after sharply criticizing the detention of İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu on March 19. He described İmamoğlu’s detention as “a coup” Erdoğan staged against himself.
İmamoğlu, a senior member of main opposition Republican People’s Party’s (CHP), was arrested on March 23 on corruption charges criticized as being politically motivated. His arrest, widely seen as targeting the biggest political rival to longtime President Erdoğan in the 2028 presidential election, sparked Turkey’s largest protests in the last decade.
Kocabıyık, who served two terms in parliament before his expulsion from the party, previously worked as an adviser to Tansu Çiller, leader of the True Path Party (DYP), during her tenure as prime minister between 1993 and 1996 and deputy prime minister between 1996 and 1997.
