A 21-year-old Turkish law student who uploaded a video on to social media in favour of a “no” vote in April’s constitutional referendum was on Thursday given a two-year suspended prison sentence by an Istanbul court.
The court gave Ali Gul a suspended sentence of two years for “insulting the president” and “humiliating” the religious values of a certain section of the public.
Gul was sentenced for tweets posted two years ago that the court said insulted President Recep Erdogan, a crime that carries as much as four years in jail.
“Gul has nothing to do with the Twitter account and there is “no evidence” for him to be sentenced,’’ Gul’s lawyer Yigit Acar said.
The lawyer said that Gul was targeted because of a satirical video he uploaded to YouTube in March in which he explained why Turks should vote against granting Erdogan extended powers in the April 16 referendum.
The result of the referendum which was contested by the opposition on claims of voter fraud in a tight race vastly expanded the powers of the presidency, raising concerns about checks and balances and growing authoritarianism.
At the end of his video, Gul said he could get arrested “if the clip is popular.”
The video went viral on social media, and the law student was arrested shortly after.
He served two months in jail and was released on May 16, pending trial.
Under the current state of emergency in Turkey, basic rights can be curbed and Erdogan can largely rule by decree. (dpa/NAN)
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