Turkish journalist probed for insulting Erdoğan over tweet on theater play

ISTANBUL

Turkey’s FOX TV anchor Fatih Portakal has testified after a prosecutor in Istanbul launched an investigation into whether he insulted President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan through his tweets. 

In his testimony on Sept. 13, Portakal said he “had no intention of insulting Erdoğan and only used his right to freedom of expression,” according to local media reports.

Portakal’s two tweets in January referred to actor-director Barış Atay’s theater play titled “Sadece Diktatör” (Only a Dictator), which was banned by Turkish authorities.

Portakal had criticized the ban in his tweets, asking, “why does a theater play scare officials?”