Hundreds of children stood trial for ‘insulting’ Turkish President Erdogan

A record number of people including children have been prosecuted for insulting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, reports Al Arabiya.

According to the statistics released by the Turkish Justice Ministry, a total of 128,872 probes were launched over six years for "insulting" the president.

Prosecutors have evaluated 36,066 complaints and launched criminal cases for 11,371 of them, in 2019 alone, Al Arabiya adds.

Reports have shown that 903 minors, including 264 children aged between 12 and 14, stood trial for "insulting" Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over six years.

There has been a dramatic uptick in the number of cases filed for "insulting" the president during Erdogan's tenure.

Those convicted of insulting the president may be imprisoned for a period of between one and four years. The sentence is likely to be increased by one-sixth if the act is committed explicitly.

(With inputs from agencies)