A Turkish court on Tuesday handed down a suspended sentence to a German employee of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation on charges of insulting President Recep Erdogan, his lawyer said.
Aret D was sentenced to 11 months and 20 days imprisonment but this was suspended in lieu of five years’ probation, his lawyer Veysel Ok said.
Aret D was charged with insulting Erdogan on social media, ahead of presidential and parliamentary elections in Turkey in June 2018.
He allegedly used the Turkish word “bascalan” (meaning head of thieves) in a tweet, which is a satirical wordplay on “basbakan,” which means prime minister.
The term was used by critics of Erdogan, then the prime minister, after corruption investigations were initiated in December 2013 against politicians and businessmen in his inner circle.
Three ministers resigned before Erdogan brought a stop to the probe.
Aret D is free to leave the country. He was present at the 30-minute hearing in Istanbul. The trial started in March.
