A Turkish woman who criticized Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during a street interview has been arrested on charges of insulting the president and his family, the Velev news website reported on Tuesday.
The arrest follows comments made during an on-camera interview widely circulated on social media. The woman, identified only as N.K., described Erdoğan as someone “who came to destroy our country” and accused him of enriching his family at the expense of citizens.
“Who is Tayyip? He’s just a primary school graduate who obtained middle school and university diplomas through connections,” N.K said. “His entire family got rich. He came to power to ruin our country. Everyone is struggling. May God punish him.”
Following the comments, the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation. N.K. was arrested after appearing in court, as announced by the Turkish National Police on X.
Ebru Uzun Oruç, who runs the YouTube channel Sokak Kedisi (Street Cat), where the interview was published yesterday, expressed regret over the arrest. Writing on X, Oruç said, “I am heartbroken. To date, we have published 1,000 interview videos. We have removed all statements that could be deemed illegal. N.K., the wife of a retired colonel who served in the Turkish army for 35 years, was arrested on the grounds of making defamatory statements about Erdoğan and his family after being targeted by social media trolls.”
Journalist Alican Uludağ criticized the arrest on social media, questioning its legal basis and broader implications for free speech. “This woman was arrested for criticizing the president’s wealth and rule,” he wrote. “When did criticizing the president’s wealth become a crime? Moreover, invoking divine punishment is not a crime.”
Uludağ also highlighted a 2014 ruling by Turkey’s Supreme Court of Appeals, which found that phrases such as “May God punish you” do not meet the legal definition of insult, as they lack concrete accusations or vulgarity. The court held that such expressions are not sufficient to constitute defamation under Turkish criminal law.
In Turkey, thousands of people are investigated, prosecuted or 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 mass media.
