Man insulting Turkish Prime Minister on Facebook could serve 2 years

ISTANBUL - Vatan

'I thought the conversation would remain between friends,' the suspect said. REUTERS photo

Charges were pressed recently against a man who allegedly posted insulting remarks on the social network website Facebook about the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

An Ankara public prosecutor claimed that the suspect posted several comments on Facebook insulting Erdoğan, as well as other members of his cabinet.

The IP address of the suspect was detected through investigation, and investigators claimed that they had obtained necessary evidence against the man.

While admitting that he may have used harsh words against the prime minister, the suspect said that he had no ill intentions.

"I now regret it. I thought the conversation would remain between friends," he said.

The charges against him were defined as insulting someone "through a visual, spoken or written post."

The trial may result in a two-year sentence for the suspect.