A man in İzmir has filed a petition for libel against his wife for insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the private İhlas news agency said on Monday.
According to the report, Ali D., a truck driver, recorded his wife’s insults and the swear words she uttered every time she saw Erdoğan speaking on television, when he felt he could no longer support her insults against the president.
Ali’s wife, G.D., reportedly filed for a divorce, while Ali filed a libel suit against his wife for insulting the president. He will use the voice recording as evidence in the case.
Erdoğan, who was elected president in 2014, is a very controversial figure in Turkey as he has freely attacked the opposition while supporting the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), which is in blatant violation of the Constitution.
The Constitution requires a president to be impartial, and Erdoğan was sworn in in Parliament to be impartial in office.
Erdoğan has himself launched many libel suits against journalists, intellectuals who dared to criticize him.
A large number of people, including high school students, activists and even a former Miss Turkey, have been prosecuted for allegedly insulting Erdoğan on social media ever since he was elected.
According to a human rights report released by Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputy Sezgin Tanrıkulu in December of last year, more than 1,500 people have been sued by Erdoğan on libel charges and 400 more investigations are awaiting approval from the Justice Ministry.