A new filter is causing a sensation on social media: several videos show Turkish President Erdogan surprising people while counting money – an allusion to Erdogan’s recent austerity appeals. The public prosecutor’s office is investigating “insulting the president”. There is a risk of up to four years in prison.
The authorities have launched an investigation into videos on social media with a filter depicting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The Istanbul Prosecutor General’s Office has taken steps for “insulting the president” against those responsible for the “insulting” video, the state news agency Anadolu reported. The police had been asked to identify and arrest the suspects as soon as possible.
The video shows people holding or counting wads of cash. As soon as the Turkish president suddenly appears from behind in the form of a filter, they take their money to safety, annoyed. “Get your foreign currency and gold out from under your pillow,” the President is heard to say afterwards. An indication that in the past Erdogan had repeatedly encouraged the Turkish population to deposit their savings in banks to prop up the ailing Turkish lira. The government has been fighting inflation and the depreciation of the national currency for months.
According to Turkish media, the video was created on Tiktok and then quickly spread on social media. Authorities are currently checking which users created or shared the videos, a spokesman for the Istanbul Prosecutor General’s Office confirmed. The investigation is based on Article 299 of the Criminal Code, which provides for prison sentences of up to four years.
Most recently, the Turkish government was accused of wanting to expand control of social media. The opposition fears that the so-called disinformation law will lead to stricter censorship on the internet. The Turkish parliament is expected to vote on the draft law in the coming weeks.
