Turkish mayor files criminal complaint against 15-year-old child over ‘insulting’

Ruling AKP’s Samsun Mayor Mustafa Demir has filed a criminal complaint against a 15-year-old child, demanding that they be prosecuted on charges of “insulting.”

Duvar English

Turkey’s Samsun Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mustafa Demir, from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), has filed a criminal complaint against 15-year-old H.S., demanding that they stand trial on charges of “insulting.”

The charges concern the high school student’s tweet that criticized Demir’s policy of expropriating the houses and workplaces inherited from his grandfather at a much lower price.

H.S was released after giving a statement to the police. The high school student said “My family is devastated that our house will be demolished. With the money given by the municipality, our future will be dark. One day my family was very sad, so I shared a post. Then I deleted them,” the daily Cumhuriyet reported on April 8. 

On the other hand, Demir did not withdraw his complaint despite it turned out that the complainant was a 15-year-old child.

Erdoğan leads in presidential race, outperforms expectations Google excessively recommends pro-government media outlets Half of Turkish men own gun, says foundation THY dismisses pilot for opposing regulation on praying in cockpit Turkey lifts visa requirement for six countries Family left homeless after landlord increases rent by five-fold