Arrested on charges of 'insulting the President'... Permission to prosecute denied after 5.5 months of detention!..

Last January in Muğla, the main charge in an operation carried out in three or four waves against local media members was “insulting the President.” It was also alleged that the journalists committed the crimes of “insulting a public official, unlawfully obtaining personal data, violating the privacy of private life, and publicly disseminating misleading information to the public.”

A remarkable aspect of the operation and investigation was that most of the suspects were individuals close to the AKP, and the complainants were primarily the Governor of Muğla and bureaucrats. For example, the number 1 suspect arrested in the first wave, Kürşat Keskin, was the person who first met with and interviewed Erdoğan while he was in Marmaris during the July 15 coup attempt, and was rewarded for this.

In the later stages of the process, the names of former and current AKP deputies and local MHP officials became involved in the incident; even the advisor to AKP Deputy Kadem Mete was arrested. Ultimately, the matter was conveyed by the deputies to Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek and Minister of Interior Mustafa Çiftçi.

Meanwhile, journalist Kürşat Keskin wrote an 8-page letter from prison to Erdoğan, reporting the corruption he claimed was taking place in Muğla and those responsible, while his father filed a criminal complaint with the Muğla Chief Public Prosecutor's Office regarding this “setup” against his son.

Following that criminal complaint, this time Kürşat Keskin's brother, who is also a journalist, and a friend were detained. The friend of the younger Keskin alleged that while in custody, a police officer cursed at AKP Deputy Kadem Mete.

On the other hand, the lawyers for the suspects filed a complaint with the General Directorate of Security against both the police officers conducting the investigation and those who cursed at Deputy Mete, requesting that an investigation be opened against them.

Release and Earthquake at the Courthouse

After these brief reminders, let us come to the latest developments regarding the investigation, which involves 9 names, 4 of whom were in custody.

An indictment was prepared for the suspects in question, and with the acceptance of the indictment, it was decided to release those in custody.

The notable feature of the day the release decision was made was the publication of the summer decree covering 4,967 judges and prosecutors. Within the scope of the decree, the positions of exactly 151 judges and prosecutors, including the Muğla Chief Public Prosecutor, were changed both in the center and in the districts.

Surprisingly, Permission Was Not Granted

We mentioned that the initial justification for the detention and arrest decision was the allegation of “insulting the President”; this charge was not included in the indictment prepared 5.5 months later. The defendants were only requested to be tried for the crimes of “publicly insulting a public official due to their duty through a chain of audio, written, or visual messages, publicly disseminating misleading information to the public by hiding their true identity, and unlawfully giving, disseminating, or obtaining personal data to another person.”

If you ask, “Where did the ‘insulting the President’ charge go?”;

As is known, permission for prosecution must be obtained from the Ministry of Justice for this charge. The prosecutor also requested this permission from the Ministry.

From what we understand from the correspondence, the basis of the charge was a post made on a Facebook account on December 1, 2025, likely on the occasion of October 29, while sharing an image of the Turkish Flag and an Atatürk poster hanging at a hospital in Muğla, drawing attention to the fact that Erdoğan's picture was not hung with the phrase “our almond-mustached leader,” and making a reference to “Muğla, the city of crescent-mustached people,” while reacting to the MHP on one hand and the Health Director, the AKP provincial chairman, and AKP deputies on the other, and calling on the “little leader” to do what is necessary.

While a lawsuit for insulting the President is filed even for almost “having an eyebrow above your eye,” surprisingly, the Ministry of Justice did not grant permission for prosecution just one day before the release decision for the detainees, stating that “the legal elements of the crime of insulting the President were not met.”

Following this decision, the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office issued a “decision of non-prosecution” last week regarding the suspects due to the “lack of permission for prosecution.”

Investigation into Police Officers

There were other remarkable developments in the Muğla file.

First; the Muğla Chief Public Prosecutor's Office launched an ex officio investigation into the police officer who allegedly cursed at AKP Deputy Kadem Mete.

Second; journalist Kürşat Keskin's lawyer, Suna Öztaşdönderen, filed a criminal complaint with the General Directorate of Security against the police officers who carried out the investigation process, with accusations of “misconduct in office, taking action outside the scope of authority and duty, and acting with personal hostility and a motive for revenge, and preparing false and misleading reports.” The General Directorate referred this to the Muğla Governor's Office. In the end, the Muğla Provincial Administrative Board decided that there was no need to open a disciplinary investigation on the grounds that “there was no information, document, witness, audio, or video recording to substantiate the allegations.” However, Attorney Öztaşdönderen applied to the General Directorate of Security again for the investigation to be conducted by the Law Enforcement Oversight Commission and inspectors to be appointed from the center, pointing out that “the examination and investigation into the police officers still serving in Muğla being conducted by the Muğla Governor's Office carries the risk of violating the principles of impartiality, independent audit, and the obligation of effective investigation.” The General Directorate of Security accepted the request.

Müyesser YILDIZ

June 27, 2026