The trial of academic and writer Suay Karaman on a charge of “insulting the President” was heard at Ankara 90th Criminal Court of First Instance. The case was opened over a social media post Karaman made in 2015 by quoting a statement by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The prosecutor sought a prison sentence of between 1 year 2 months and 4 years 8 months. Karaman requested acquittal, arguing that he had not insulted anyone in the post and that his remarks fell within freedom of expression. The court decided to send the file to the prosecutor for an opinion on the merits and adjourned the hearing until 9 December.
18 September 2026
Cumhuriyet