For using insulting words against President Erdogan, leading Turkish journalist arrested
A Turkish court has ordered the arrest of renowned journalist Sadaf Kabas on charges of using insulting language against the country's president.
Sadaf Kabas was arrested on Saturday and a court has ruled that he should be sent to jail before the trial.
He is accused of targeting Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in a show. He uttered a phrase during a live show on an opposition TV channel. Sadaf denies the allegations against her.
He faces up to one to four years in prison.
Speaking on the Television One channel, she said, ''There is a popular saying that wearing a crown on one's head makes one wise.But we have seen that this is not true.''
She said that if a buffalo enters a palace, it does not become a king, but a fence of the palace.
She later shared his statement on Twitter.
Erdogan's chief spokesman, Fahritan Al-Tan, called his comments "irresponsible." "The so-called journalist is openly insulting our president on a TV channel which has no purpose other than to spread hatred," he said in a Twitter message.
In a statement to the court, Sadaf denied any wrongdoing on the part of the president.
Television channel editor Mardan Yanardug has condemned Sadaf's arrest.He said in a statement,''Her arrest at 2 am is unacceptable because of an idiom.''
''The move is an attempt to intimidate journalists, the media and society.''
Erdogan served as Turkey's prime minister for 11 years before being elected president in the country's first presidential election in August 2014. It used to be an honorary position in the country.
The move to silence critics has also caused concern abroad and has strained Turkey's relations with the European Union. The European Union (EU) has blocked Turkey's accession to the bloc.
Since Erdogan became president, thousands of people have been convicted of defamation.
According to Reuters, there were more than 31,000 investigations into the allegations in Turkey in 2020.