Turkish architect Cenap Tezer and his son Emrah Tezer were given 1 year and 2 months in prison each for allegedly insulting Turkish autocratic President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan via their social media posts.
A local court in Muğla’s Bodrum district handed down 14 months of prison sentence for both Caner Tezer and Emrah Tezer with the son also given TL 7,000 [$1,850], media reported on Monday. The sentences were suspended.
“We thought we could use our democratic rights to criticise. But, now we are aware of the Sword of Democles hanging over our heads. …For this reason, me and my son have just bought a black-covered notebook each and write down our emotions, opinions and criticism on those. We won’t share them with you. Our grandchildren may be able to read them some day,” Tezer told media.
Meanwhile, his son Emrah said that “Our intent was to share our thoughts with friends on social media. In this case, there is no need. I won’t make this mistake again.”
As of the end of 2016, at least 10,000 people were under investigation on suspicion of terrorist propaganda and insulting senior state officials on social media. A total of 1,080 people were convicted of insulting Erdoğan in 2016, according to data from Turkey’s Justice Ministry. Data also showed that 4,936 cases were launched against people on charges of insult in 2016.
Known for his architectural works for celebrities, Cenap Tezer also works as a director at the Dibeklihan Culture and Art Village in the western province of Muğla. (turkeypurge.com)
