A 16-year-old girl in İstanbul was given a suspended sentence of more than 10 months of incarceration on December 12 for allegedly insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, following an apparent request for punishment by Erdoğan, the Birgün news website reported on Wednesday.
The teenager was detained on May 12 on the basis of directions from the president’s security detail after allegedly cursing at President Erdoğan’s convoy. An İstanbul court later released her under judicial supervision, requiring weekly check-ins at a police station. A travel ban was also imposed.
However, according to Birgün, Erdoğan petitioned the court through his lawyer, Ahmet Özel, demanding punishment.
The girl’s lawyer, Kardelen Ateşci, said the authorities failed to properly examine the case. The request for a review of surveillance footage was declined, with officials claiming that no camera footage was available, even though the incident occurred in one of İstanbul’s busiest areas, where there are numerous cameras.
“It is clear from the girl’s statements, as supported by witness testimony, that she did not [intentionally] insult the president. She was unaware of his presence at the scene,” Ateşci said. “How can someone insult the president without even knowing he is there?”
The teenager had previously stated that she reacted out of fear when she saw a rapidly approaching car while waiting at a crosswalk. “I had no idea that any state official, including the president, were there. I’d never insult any of them,” she said.
Her reaction was reportedly due to trauma from a near-accident six months earlier.
Insulting the president is a crime in Turkey, according to the controversial Article 299 of the Turkish Penal Code. Anyone who insults the president can face up to four years in prison, a sentence that can be increased if the crime was committed through the mass media.
Free speech has long been a complicated issue in Turkey.
Between 2014 and 2022, more than 160,000 people have been investigated on allegations of insulting president, criminal charges have been filed against 45,000 of them and 13,000 people have been convicted.
At least 972 minors were investigated last year for allegedly insulting either Erdoğan or the Turkish state.
