Court orders two and a half years in jail to Islamic preacher for insulting Atatürk

Burcu Purtul Uçar - ISTANBUL

An Istanbul court ordered two and a half years in jail for Islamic preacher Hasan Akar on July 19 for insulting Mustafa Kemal Atatürk who was the founder of modern Turkey.

The court decided Akar’s jail sentence in the second hearing of the trial.

Akar was sentenced one and a half years over charges on “insulting the memory of Atatürk” and one year on “inciting hatred and hostility among the public.”

Hasan Akar, who had been charged for posting videos online that insult Atatürk, was arrested by the Istanbul court on June 20, 43 days after his arrest warrant was issued. 

Prosecutor Ertuğrul Sarıyar had issued the warrant on May 11, demanding up to 7.5 years of jail time.

The Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation into Akar on charges of “insulting the memory of Atatürk” and “inciting hatred and hostility among the public” due to his comments about Atatürk’s mother. He surrendered himself to the Bakırköy courthouse on June 20.

Akar had also claimed “Atatürk was an illegitimate child” in his online videos, triggering an angry reaction among many Turks.

An indictment had also been previously prepared for two historians, Mustafa Armağan and Süleyman Yeşilyurt, over their comments about Atatürk on a TV program.