Turkey arrests teen for insulting Erdogan
Teen calls Turkish president 'thieving' and blasts rampant 'corruption and bribery' in Turkey only to be arrested; Turkish PM: President must be accepted.
Turkish police have arrested a 16-year-old high school student in the city of Konya on charges of insulting President Tayyip Erdogan, local media reported on Thursday.
Hurriyet newspaper says the 16-year-old high-school student, identified only by his initials M.E.A., was arrested Wednesday in the central city of Konya for making a speech at a student protest a day earlier.
The boy reportedly said Erdogan was regarded as the "thieving owner of the illegal palace" in reference to a government corruption scandal as well as a controversial 1,150-room new palace Erdogan inaugurated in October.
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu defended the arrest Thursday saying: "the presidential office needs to be shown respect."
The teenager's lawyers have appealed against the prosecution, which came after he read out a statement during a ceremony to commemorate the killing of a Turkish soldier by Islamists in the 1920s.
In a video broadcast by Dogan News Agency, the teenager read out a statement defending secularism and the principles of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the modern Turkish republic.
He slammed the ruling AK Party government and Erdogan personally over corruption allegations, as a crowd surrounding him chanted "everywhere is bribery, everywhere is corruption".
Erdogan portrayed a high-reaching corruption scandal that was initiated a year ago as a coup attempt orchestrated by his former ally US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen to undermine his rule.
The scandal posed one of the biggest challenges to Erdogan's 11-year-rule as prime minister, leading three members of his cabinet to quit and drawing international criticism for his response, tightening Internet controls and reassigning police, judges and prosecutors.
The teenager, who is being held in detention, has pleaded not guilty, Dogan News Agency said.
The boy's arrest sparked fierce criticism of Erdogan by opponents.
Atilla Kart, a lawmaker with the main opposition party CHP, said on Twitter that "an environment of fear, oppression and threat" was being created by the presidency.
Turkey's penal code forbids insulting the president. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was critical of the teenager and said everyone should respect the post of the presidency.
Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report
