(Reuters), October 28. According to reports from Turkey’s Anadolu News Agency and Associated Press on the 27th, Turkish President Erdogan announced that he would prosecute a Dutch congressman named Gilt Wilders.
The lawmaker previously posted a series of negative comments on Erdogan on Twitter, one of which called him a “terrorist.”
Erdogan’s lawyer filed a criminal lawsuit against Wilders in the Ankara Chief Prosecutor’s Office on the 27th for “insulting the president”, accusing him of using insulting language to “defame the honor and dignity of the Turkish president and attack Erdogan.
Personality, dignity and reputation”.
According to reports, in Turkey, “insulting the president” is a crime that carries a maximum sentence of four years in prison. Since taking office as president in 2014, Erdogan has been prosecuting those suspected of insulting him, and thousands of people have been convicted.
In 2020, more than 29,000 people were prosecuted for insulting Erdogan.
Recently, the “beheading” of a French teacher triggered a fierce quarrel between Turkey and France. Erdogan angered France with the phrase “Macron needs to see a doctor”, and the latter recalled the French ambassador to Turkey.
French President Macron said he would step up efforts to crack down on extreme Muslims in the country, saying he “will never give in.”
Wilders often made sharp anti-Islamic statements in the Dutch parliament. As the dispute between Turkey and France escalated, Wilders began to violently attack Erdogan on social media.
Wilders dismissed the criminal charges raised by the Turkish side and continued to make radical remarks.
