Turkey's Erdogan files "insult" case against main opposition deputy chair

Source: Xinhua| 2017-10-31 23:21:41|Editor: Mu Xuequan
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ANKARA, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday filed a criminal complaint against a deputy chair of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) for "insulting the president."

The move came after CHP Deputy Chair Bulent Tezcan called President Erdogan "a fascist dictator" during an address in the northwestern Tekirdag province on Monday, state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

Ankara prosecutors have launched a probe into Tezcan for "insulting the president."

Tezcan's comments prompted a swift backlash from Erdogan's office and his ruling Justice and Development Party.

The Deputy Prime Minister and government spokesman Bekir Bozdag criticized Tezcan's remarks on Monday, describing it "unacceptable."

Turkish Presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin also slammed Tezcan on Twitter, saying "Bulent Tezcan's discourse of hatred is a certificate of shame for the main opposition. This is not politics, rather it is hostility towards the nation's will."

According to Article 299 of the Turkish Criminal Code, anyone who "casts aspersions on the president" faces one to four years in prison, with greater penalties for doing so publicly or via the media.

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