Again Turkey Detains Teen ‘For Insulting President On Facebook’

Turkish court has remanded in custody a 17-year-old construction
worker on charges of “insulting” Turkish President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan on Facebook.

It is the latest case in which youngsters have been hauled
before the courts in Turkey on similar charges, as activists express growing
alarm over the limits on freedom of expression under Erdogan.

The boy, identified as F E, was detained at his home in
western Tekirdag province after someone called the police emergency line to
complain about his Facebook posts.

The court in Tekirdag placed him in pre-trial detention. No
other details were given on the content of the posts.

Critics say Erdogan has become increasingly authoritarian
since becoming president in August 2014 after more than a decade as prime
minister and the number of prosecutions for insulting him have risen.

Students, journalists and even a former Miss Turkey beauty
queen have been targeted.

Last December, a 17-year-old was arrested in his classroom
and held for several days on the same charge and given an 11-month suspended
sentence.

In November, two of Turkey’s most prominent journalists —
Cumhuriyet newspaper’s editor-in-chief Can Dundar and its Ankara bureau chief
Erdem Gul – were arrested on spying charges in a case that has caused global
concern.