Turkey: Journalist convicted of ‘insulting president’ released after ox proverb

Turkish TV journalist Sedef Kampas, who was sentenced to 2 years and 4 months in prison for “insulting the president”, has been released. Her court Turkey ordered her release after the hearing.

“Sedef Kambas is now free,” she wrote on her Twitter account, which was used by her own people during her time in prison.

The journalist was arrested on January 22 after had said a proverb on television, which was interpreted as referring to President Tayyip Erdogan.

The proverb with the ox that led her to prison

“There is a well-known proverb that says that the crowned head becomes wiser. But we see that this is not true. The ox entering the palace does not become king, but the palace becomes a stable ” reported live the journalist speaking on the television network Tele1.

Sedef Kampas had also posted the Circassian proverb on her Twitter account, where she has 900,000 followers.

He was remanded in custody at Bakirkey Prison in Istanbul.

“This crime will not go unpunished,” the Turkish head of state warned in an interview with the network, anticipating that the proverb concerned him and accusing the journalist of “provocation”.

The offense of “insulting the president” is punishable by up to four years in prison.

The violation of the freedom of the press in Turkey, especially after the attempted coup of 2016 and the wave of arrests and the shutdown of the media that followed, are systematically denounced by the NGOs.

Turkey ranks 153rd in the 180 countries in the 2021 ranking for the press freedom of Reporters Without Borders.

Source: News Beast

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