Turkish footballer risks jail over tweets insulting president
The Turkish legendary footballer Hakan Sukur, who left behind some lasting moments in the country’s football history, now faces charges that could put him behind bars for insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The private Dogan news agency reported on Wednesday that prosecutors have charged Sukur with posting tweets that insulted Erdogan and his son.
Sukur’s indictment has been approved by the court and a first hearing is planned for the coming weeks, the report said.
Sukur said the tweets were not intended to offend the president. The content of the tweets which were reportedly posted on his personal account @HakanSukur was not made clear.
However, prosecutors rejected the claims, saying the tweets were “clearly related” to Erdogan. If convicted, the 44-year-old Sukur faces up to four years in prison, according to the charges.
The football icon, who left the pitch in 2007 after 20 years of prolific career, is still regarded as the best striker in the history of Turkish football. Sukur scored 51 times in 112 appearances for the national team. The veteran footballer was also part of the Turkish team in the 2002 World Cup, where the outfit ended in a historic third place.
Sukur became involved in politics after retiring from football and was elected in 2011 as a lawmaker from Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). He then resigned in 2013 in the wake of a major investigation into the conduct of Erdogan and other members of the AKP leadership.
He then sided with Erdogan’s rival, the US-based preacher, Fethullah Gulen. He once criticized the Turkish government for closing down the schools run by Gulen's movement, Hizmet.
The Turkish judiciary has charged many people, including journalists, bloggers and ordinary people, over insulting Erdogan and his inner circle.
Turkish activists storm German-flagged ship that carried weapons for Israeli military
More than 50 countries press UN for arms embargo on Israel
PKK claims deadly attack on Turkey’s aerospace firm
48-year-old Palestinian man serving 48 life terms completes 22 years in Israeli jails
From MKO to Tondar, how Germany became safe haven for anti-Iran terror groups
Hamas open to any proposal aiming to end Gaza war: Hamdan
Role of private sector in Iran’s thriving space industry
Four Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes on West Bank
Iran warns of ‘calculated, precise’ response to Israeli aggression
After year-long genocide, Israeli military hires private firms to flatten buildings in Gaza
Malaysia working on resolution to expel Israel from United Nations
PressTV NEWSLETTER
now
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
