Turkey: Opposition leader accused of insulting president

ANKARA

A Turkish public prosecutor’s office has submitted a summary of proceedings against an opposition leader, accusing him of insulting the country’s president.

In a filing to the Ministry of Justice, Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu was accused of insulting the President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a speech to the party’s recent 35th General Congress in Ankara.

Some tweets from the CHP leader are also included in the filing.

Kilicdaroglu used the Turkish expression "diktator bozuntusu" [roughly translated as 'sham dictator'] to describe Erdogan.

According to the Turkish Penal Code, Article 299, it is a criminal offense to insult the president. The offense carries a jail sentence of between one to four years.

The summary of charges was sent to Turkey’s Ministry of Justice, which will submit a summary of proceedings to parliament where it will be decided whether Kilicdaroglu’s immunity from prosecution, granted by Article 83 of the Turkish constitution, may be withdrawn.

ANKARA

A Turkish public prosecutor’s office has submitted a summary of proceedings against an opposition leader, accusing him of insulting the country’s president.

Some tweets from the CHP leader are also included in the filing.

Kilicdaroglu used the Turkish expression "diktator bozuntusu" [roughly translated as 'sham dictator'] to describe Erdogan.

According to the Turkish Penal Code, Article 299, it is a criminal offense to insult the president. The offense carries a jail sentence of between one to four years.