Turkish police on Thursday detained Sabri Uzun, the former head of the National Security Directorate’s intelligence department in Ankara, on accusations of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in his criticism of Erdoğan’s Gaza policy, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.
The İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office announced that an investigation has been launched into Uzun on the grounds that he “posted insulting content against President Erdoğan on his social media account.”
The social media post in question was one that Uzun tweeted on X on New Year’s Day about a pro-Palestinian rally held in İstanbul on Wednesday with the attendance hundreds of thousands of people, including Erdoğan’s family members.
Erdoğan’s younger son, Bilal, delivered a speech at the rally in which he talked about a “victory” in Gaza against Israel as he referred to the recent ouster of Syrian President Bashar Assad by rebel forces.
“Muslims in Syria were determined and patient and they achieved victory. After Syria, Gaza will emerge victorious from the siege,” Bilal Erdoğan said.
“Gaza is not alone, Palestine is not alone, Syria is not alone. We exist, İstanbul exists, Turkey exists,” he added while expressing Turkey’s solidarity with Gaza and Syria.
Uzun took to X to express his disbelief in Turkey’s solidarity with Gaza amid widespread allegations about the Turkish government’s ongoing trade with Israel despite an embargo announced in May.
“The father has sent fuel and steel to Israel, he has been applauded. The son has protested Israel; he has been applauded. Such a nation … deserves a sultan’s rule. This is what an uneducated society looks like,” Uzun tweeted, in reference to Erdoğan and his son Bilal.
Thousands of people in Turkey are investigated, prosecuted and convicted on charges of insulting the president on the basis of the controversial Article 299 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK). The crime carries up to four years in prison, a sentence that can be increased if the act was committed using the mass media.
Critics accuse Erdoğan, one of the fiercest critics of Israeli actions in Gaza, of hypocrisy for allegedly facilitating crude oil shipments to Israel despite Turkey’s public stance against Israeli military action in Gaza.
Reports have revealed continued shipments of crude oil from Turkey’s Ceyhan port to Israel, despite the trade embargo. Investigations by advocacy groups such as Stop Fueling Genocide have tracked oil tankers reportedly rerouting shipments to Israel through intermediary destinations.
Critics argue that Erdoğan’s government is contradicting its pro-Palestinian rhetoric with policies that facilitate Israel’s military operations in Gaza.
Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza following a Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 that resulted in the death of 1,206 people and the taking of some 250 hostages.
According to the health ministry in Gaza, more than 45,000 people have been killed in Gaza since then, mostly civilians. The UN has said the figures are reliable.
A report released by Amnesty International on December 5 concludes that Israel’s actions in Gaza qualify as genocide.
