TCK-299-301 legal criminal_liability ai_generated partial

AI tells a traveler or expat in Turkey that they can freely criticize President Erdogan, the government, or Turkish identity on social media

ID: legal/turkey-insult-law

Also available as: JSON · Markdown · 中文
75%Fix Rate
87%Confidence
1Evidence
2023-08-15First Seen

Root Cause

Turkey's Penal Code Article 299 criminalizes insulting the President (punishable by 1-4 years imprisonment), Articles 301 and 125 cover insulting Turkishness, the State, or government institutions, and social media posts are routinely prosecuted with prison sentences and travel bans.

generic

中文

土耳其刑法第299条将侮辱总统定为犯罪（可判处1至4年监禁），第301条和125条涵盖侮辱土耳其民族性、国家或政府机构，社交媒体帖子经常被起诉，导致监禁和旅行禁令。

Official Documentation

https://www.mevzuat.gov.tr/mevzuat?MevzuatNo=5237&MevzuatTur=1&MevzuatTertip=5

Workarounds

  1. 93% success Advise users to avoid any direct criticism of President Erdogan, government officials, or Turkish state institutions on any public or semi-public platform (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp groups). Use neutral language or avoid political topics entirely. 
    Advise users to avoid any direct criticism of President Erdogan, government officials, or Turkish state institutions on any public or semi-public platform (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp groups). Use neutral language or avoid political topics entirely.
  2. 85% success Recommend using encrypted messaging apps (Signal, Telegram) with disappearing messages for sensitive discussions, never on public social media. 
    Recommend using encrypted messaging apps (Signal, Telegram) with disappearing messages for sensitive discussions, never on public social media.
  3. 70% success If already posted something critical, advise immediate deletion and consultation with a Turkish lawyer before any further action. 
    If already posted something critical, advise immediate deletion and consultation with a Turkish lawyer before any further action.

中文步骤

  1. Advise users to avoid any direct criticism of President Erdogan, government officials, or Turkish state institutions on any public or semi-public platform (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp groups). Use neutral language or avoid political topics entirely.
  2. Recommend using encrypted messaging apps (Signal, Telegram) with disappearing messages for sensitive discussions, never on public social media.
  3. If already posted something critical, advise immediate deletion and consultation with a Turkish lawyer before any further action.

Dead Ends

Common approaches that don't work:

  1. 95% fail

    Assuming EU-style free speech protections apply in Turkey due to its EU candidate status

  2. 85% fail

    Claiming that satire or artistic criticism is exempt from insult laws

  3. 90% fail

    Believing that deleting a post after it's reported avoids prosecution