An investigation was launched against Mehmet Şah Tekiner due to an alleged Facebook post including the words “Dictator Erdogan” headlines from the German newspaper Bild, he was summoned to the Diyarbakır Police Department to testify.
With the approval of the Ministry, the indictment prepared against Tekiner, demanding up to 4 years in prison, was accepted. In the case opened, Tekiner, who made his final defense against the prosecutor’s request for punishment, stated that he did not have a social media account during the trial, and that the account in question may have been opened by his children or grandchildren.
Tekiner’s lawyer, Resul Tamur, pointed to the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights and said:
“When the practices of the ECHR and other practices are observed, the alleged action cannot be considered as an insult, but can only be considered as a heavy criticism against the administrators. As a matter of fact, in many of his statements, Erdoğan has stated that he is not a dictator and that no one can call him a dictator. Since the elements of the crime charged on the client have not occurred, we first demand his acquittal, and if the court is of the contrary opinion, the provisions of the law in favor of it are applied.”
The court, arguing that Tekiner’s statements were “to get rid of the crime”, sentenced him to 1 year, 3 months and 16 days in prison. Lawyer Tamur appealed to the Regional Court of Justice against the court’s decision.
MA
