Dismissed teacher claims to have be ‘framed’ by Erdoğan’s security guards

Gamze Kolcu ANKARA

A teacher of 18 years, who was dismissed from her duties after being accused of throwing eggs at President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and insulting him, has claimed that she was “framed” by the prime minister’s security guards.

Seçil Esmanur Erdem, 42, who was dismissed from her duties as a physical education teacher in the Black Sea province of Trabzon, said Erdoğan’s guards used her as “bait” to scare other public officials as part of a “lynch campaign.”

“The guards chose me as bait to say ‘we caught a teacher,’ in order to speak softly but also carry a big stick toward the officials. Everybody will believe whatever they want, even though I scream out loud that I’m not guilty,” said Erdem. “I am a victim of the guards’ lynch campaign.”

Erdem was fined 7,080 Turkish Liras by a Trabzon criminal court on charges of throwing eggs at Erdoğan, who was prime minister at the time, and insulting him during his visit to the city on Nov. 23, 2013. Erdem was subsequently dismissed from her official duties as a teacher following a decision from the Education Ministry’s High Disciplinary Board on Sept. 30, on the grounds that Erdem “insulted Erdoğan by throwing eggs and swearing at him.”

Erdem said she had looked out of her grandmother’s house on the night of the event upon hearing voices coming from the street. Then, according to her account, someone calling out from a black jeep accused her of insulting the prime minister and made threatening remarks to her. She was later taken to the police station upon the insult claims, and was later released later ahead of a court appearance.
 
Erdem said she wanted to appeal the disciplinary board’s decision to dismiss her, but even her lawyer did not advise this, saying the appeal would not go anywhere because she was facing the president.