Incident
Türkiye: journalist Sedef Kabas tried for insulting the president
Turkish authorities tried journalist Sedef Kabas repeatedly for insulting President Erdogan over her on-air comments and tweets questioning his college diploma and alleging corruption, an offense carrying up to four years in prison.1234
What happened
Turkish journalist Sedef Kabas was arrested on January 14, 2022, over on-air comments prosecutors said insulted President Recep Tayyip Erdogan under Article 299 of Türkiye's penal code, an offense that can carry up to four years in prison, with an added penalty if the insult was made publicly. She was convicted and sentenced to two years and four months in prison but was released pending appeal on March 11, 2022. Turkish prosecutors then pursued a separate case over a series of her tweets, in which she questioned the validity of Erdogan's college diploma, made allegations of corruption, and criticized several of his policies and statements. On June 22, 2023, an Istanbul court denied a motion to dismiss that second insult charge, keeping Kabas on trial for statements made from outside any official capacity, as an independent journalist and commentator.1234
Ongoing as of the source reviewed.1234
What reason was given
Stated justification
What changed for reporting
Repeated prosecutions under the insult law kept Kabas facing potential imprisonment for years over ordinary commentary and tweets about the president, a pattern CPJ said was a severe threat to free speech in Türkiye.1
Timeline
2022
Who acted
| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
|---|---|---|
| Recep Tayyip Erdoğan | other | President of Türkiye |
Outlets and journalists
| Name | Kind | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| Sedef Kabas | journalist | affected |
Sources
- Turkish journalist Sedef Kabas facing new trial for 'insulting' President Erdogan
- Turkish journalist arrested on charge of insulting Erdogan -CNN Turk
Claims and evidence
Each numbered claim quotes the source it rests on.
- CPJ's characterization of the continued prosecution.
Turkish authorities' persistence in putting journalist Sedef Kabaş on trial for allegedly insulting the president is a severe threat to free speech.
Turkish journalist Sedef Kabas facing new trial for 'insulting' President Erdogan, Committee to Protect Journalists, 2023-06-22.Claim 551, checked 2026-09-22. - The specific statements underlying the second prosecution.
in which she questioned the validity of his college diploma, made allegations of corruption, and criticized numerous policies and statements of the president
Turkish journalist Sedef Kabas facing new trial for 'insulting' President Erdogan, Committee to Protect Journalists, 2023-06-22.Claim 675, checked 2026-09-22. - The statutory penalty under the insult law.
Insulting Turkey's president can carry a prison sentence of up to four years, with an added penalty if the insult was made in public.
Turkish journalist Sedef Kabas facing new trial for 'insulting' President Erdogan, Committee to Protect Journalists, 2023-06-22.Claim 676, checked 2026-09-22. - Outcome of her first prosecution under the same charge.
Kabas was arrested for the same charge over her on-air comments in January 2022. She was found guilty and sentenced to two years and four months in prison, but was released pending appeal on March 11, 2022.
Turkish journalist Sedef Kabas facing new trial for 'insulting' President Erdogan, Committee to Protect Journalists, 2023-06-22.Claim 677, checked 2026-09-22.