Turkish Prosecutor Seeks Prison Term for Veteran Journalist Over ‘Insulting’ Erdoğan

January 14, 2026 – Turkey –

A prosecutor in Turkey has asked a court to sentence veteran journalist Zafer Arapkirli to up to four years in prison on charges of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in a social media post, according to the Stockholm Center for Freedom.

The case was heard in the İstanbul 60th First Criminal Court, where prosecutors argued that Arapkirli’s comment — characterising someone (without naming Erdoğan) as “a very bad scriptwriter” — exceeded permissible criticism and thus constituted a criminal insult. Arapkirli has denied wrongdoing, describing the prosecution as an effort to silence critical journalism, and his next court hearing is scheduled for March 3, 2026.

The charges stem from Article 299 of the Turkish Penal Code, which criminalises insulting the president and carries penalties of one to four years’ imprisonment, potentially increased for public statements, and is regularly cited by authorities in cases against journalists and critics.

Rights advocates argue such prosecutions chill free expression and are part of wider legal pressures on independent media in Turkey, where similar insult cases have been pursued against journalists, commentators, and other public figures.

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Prosecutor seeks up to 4 years for veteran journalist over alleged insult of Erdoğan