Homeless Man Insults Erdogan to Get Bed in Jail: Report
The 66-year-old said he acted after three failed attempts to get pre-trial detention, according to Sozcu.
- On Friday, a 66-year-old homeless man in Alanya admitted to intentionally insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to secure food and shelter in jail, according to Sozcu newspaper.
- Insulting the president is a criminal offence in Turkey, carrying a prison term between one and four years; authorities have frequently used this statute against critics, including journalists and a former Miss Turkey.
- "I have nowhere to stay, I sleep in rubbish dumps," the man told the court after his arrest, having made three failed attempts to gain pre-trial detention before this succeeded.
- Following his detention in a park near the city of Antalya, the court ordered him jailed pending trial for the offence.
- Authorities reported nearly 83,000 cases regarding these offences between 2016 and 2025, a trend that has risen significantly since Turkey transitioned to a presidential system in 2018.
15 Articles
15 Articles
The man was arrested in Alanya, in the southern province of Antalya, "for insulting the President of the Republic"
In Alanya district of Antalya, 66-year-old R.K., who was detained on the allegation of insulting the AKP President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was arrested. It was stated that R.K., who had previously been detained three times on the same charge, said that he wanted to go to prison because he had nowhere else to stay.
In Alanya, a citizen deliberately and intentionally insulted President Erdoğan in exchange for a warm bed and food. The 66-year-old man was arrested and said, "I was sleeping in garbage dumps."
At 66, a man living on the street deliberately insulted the Turkish president in order to obtain a roof and food in prison. After three arrests followed by release, he was finally detained.
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