Türkiye arrests five people for speaking ill of president

Türkiye has detained five people for speaking ill of President Tayyip Erdogan, raising concerns that Ankara is moving towards growing authoritarianism.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. Photo: Reuters.

Five of the detainees are from the southern Turkish province of Sanliurfa. They were accused of damaging President Tayyip Erdogan's image on social media, the Dogan news agency said yesterday. The sixth person was released earlier.

Türkiye's justice minister said last month that nearly 2,000 people had been prosecuted for "insulting" Mr Erdogan after the former prime minister became president in August 2014.

The incidents have raised concerns about freedom of speech in Türkiye. President Erdogan has also been accused of trying to limit freedom of speech for the press, non-governmental organizations and scholars. He has repeatedly denied this accusation./.

According to VNE