Women accused of insulting the President in chant on International Women’s Day

March 2021: On 10 March, 13 women were arrested for a chant during a Women’s Day march in Istanbul, following an order from the Public Prosecutor accusing them of insulting the President.152 17 women, including the 13 who had been detained, were placed under travel ban by an Istanbul court on 11 March.153 According to the Stockholm Center for Freedom on 24 August, an indictment against the 17 women was accepted by court, meaning that they face prison under the Turkish Penal Code which criminalises insulting the president.154

See Reuters, March 2021; Stockholm Center for Freedom, August 2021; Human Rights Watch, March 2021 and Stockholm Center for Freedom, August 2021.