Turkish authorities launch legal action against 78 people

ANKARA-Anadolu Agency

Turkish police have launched legal action against 78 people for “inciting hatred through a smear campaign” on social media against Turkey’s “Operation Peace Spring” east of the Euphrates River in northern Syria, security forces said.

“We will continue our fight against crime and criminals in every field as well as in the virtual environment,” the Turkish Security General Directorate said in a statement on Oct. 9.

Meanwhile, Hakan Demir, web editor for opposition Birgün newspaper, and Fatih Gökhan Diler, a managing editor of the online news portal Diken, were detained on Oct. 10.

State-run Anadolu Agency said that Demir was detained for “inciting people into hatred and enmity” over a social media post about “Operation Peace Spring.” Demir was later released.

Diken said that they were not informed about the reason of Diler’s detention, while the journalist’s lawyer told local media that the charge was “inciting people into hatred and animosity.”

Meanwhile, an investigation has been launched against the co-chairs of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), Sezai Temelli and Pervin Buldan, due to their statements about the operation.

Temelli and Buldan are accused of “making propaganda for a terrorist organization” and “openly degrading the Turkish Republic.” The two HDP co-leaders released a statement on Oct. 9, condemning “Operation Peace Spring.” Their predecessors are currently in jail over similar charges. They had been arrested late 2016 after their parliamentary immunities were lifted.