ANKARA – A Turkish homeless man admitted to intentionally committing the offence of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in order to get access to food and a bed in jail, media reports said on Oct 16.
The 66-year-old was detained for the offence in a park in the southern resort town of Alanya, near the city of Antalya.
“I have nowhere to stay, I sleep in rubbish dumps. That is why I did it,” he told a court, which jailed him pending trial for the offence, according to newspaper Sozcu.
He had reportedly tried three times before but until now had not succeeded in being placed in pre-trial detention.
Insulting the president is a criminal offence in Turkey that has often been used against critics.
The authorities have charged many thousands with the crime, from journalists to teenagers and even a former Miss Turkey.
Although the offence has been part of Turkish law for decades, its use has risen significantly since Turkey transitioned to a presidential system in 2018.
Between 2016 and the end of 2025, justice ministry statistics show prosecutors opened nearly 83,000 cases into offences under articles 299 to 301 of the Turkish penal code, which cover insulting the president, insulting the Turkish flag and state symbols, and insulting the Turkish nation and state institutions.
Under article 299, the offence of insulting the president carries a prison term of between one and four years. AFP