Turkey: 30 probed for Twitter posts suggesting Recep Tayyip Erdogan died
- They face legal proceedings and possible jail time for allegedly sharing ‘disinformation and manipulative content’ as well as insulting the president
- In a bid to dissipate rumours about Erdogan’s health, officials have posted online videos of him walking and playing basketball
Turkish authorities have initiated legal proceedings against 30 people over a series of Twitter posts suggesting that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had died, according to a police statement on Wednesday.
The police statement said the 30 were being investigated for sharing posts using the hashtag “olmus” in Turkish – which roughly translates as “is said to be dead.”
They face legal proceedings for allegedly sharing “disinformation and manipulative content” as well as insulting Erdogan.
“Thirty individuals have been identified and the necessary legal proceedings have been initiated against them,” the police statement read.
Separately, Erdogan’s lawyers filed a complaint with the Ankara chief prosecutor’s office, requesting that offenders be investigated on charges of insulting the president – a crime that is punishable by a prison term.