Man Under Home Arrest For Insulting Erdoğan

- A man has been sentenced to electronically-monitored home arrest for allegedly defaming President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan following a prosecutor’s objection to his release after he was detained over the same charge.

The man, identified as Erhan K., was sentenced to home arrest with electronic handcuffs on Sept. 10 after the prosecutor’s office objected to the Edirne Criminal Court of Peace’s ruling, which had released him on probation. He had been detained in northwestern Edirne’s İpsala district for allegedly insulting Erdoğan in a Facebook post.

Erhan K. said he was not allowed to leave his home, not even to get to work so he could make his living.

“I was surprised by this decision. I can’t even do my job, so I can’t earn money because I’m not allowed to leave home,” he said.

Erhan K. was previously detained by İpsala Police Department officers for purportedly defaming Erdoğan, but he was released on probation after he appeared in court.

The man was then sentenced to home arrest with no freedom of movement while being monitored electronically after the prosecutor’s office ordered an indeterminate home arrest for him.

“The court issued a ruling that sentenced me to home arrest in the same case it previously released me on probation,” Erhan K. said.

Erhan K. made a new post on Facebook after he removed the former one which led to his detention, saying, “Here I come, friends. I was detained over a Facebook post of mine. I spent a night under detention, but the court released me. People from all across Turkey showed support for me during the time of my detainment. May God be with all of them.”