Turkish officials deny changing name of child called Recep Tayyip due to fear of punishment

Turkish officials have denied changing the name of a child called Recep Tayyip due to the fear of getting punished, according to a CHP report.

Sunday June 13 2021 01:29 pm

Duvar English

Turkish officials have denied changing the name of a child called Recep Tayyip due to fearing that they would receive punishment, a main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) report has revealed.

The CHP prepared a report after visiting the Central Anatolian province of Çankırı with a 40-member delegation earlier this month to listen to people's complaints, the daily Cumhuriyet reported on June 13.

During the visit, one person told the CHP delegation that he used to vote for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and hence named his son after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

"Now I regret it. I want to change my son's name, but the officials said, 'If we change his name, we'll be relocated. That's why we can't change it,'" the person said, according to the report.

"I can't even change my son's name," he added.

Shortly after the report, the Çankırı Governor's Office released a statement to deny the incident.

"No such official application was made to our registry offices," it said.