Turkish prosecutors have indicted a woman who was arrested earlier this week over remarks critical of the government she made in a street interview, charging her with two offenses, the T24 news website reported.
The woman, identified as Dilruba Y., was arrested on Monday after she criticized President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for a recent ban on Instagram in a street interview in the western province of İzmir.
An investigation was launched into Dilruba Y. for her remarks criticizing Erdoğan and supporters of his Justice and Development Party (AKP) government in the interview over the ban on Instagram, which was lifted on August 10 after remaining in place for nine days.
According to the indictment drafted by İzmir prosecutors, Dilruba Y. will be tried on charges of inciting hatred and enmity among the public and insulting the president.
The first hearing of her trial has been set for September 3. She be held in pretrial detention until this date, according to a statement from her lawyer, Hüseyin Yıldız.
Yıldız said he petitioned the İzmir court requesting the release of his client, while expressing surprise at the speed of the preparation of the indictment and its subsequent acceptance by the court.
“Dilruba should be released from jail immediately to prevent people from losing faith in the judicial system,” the lawyer told Turkish media.
Dilruba Y. argued in the interview that the ban on Instagram was a result of the vast powers granted to Erdoğan by a presidential system of governance.
“He [Erdoğan] is currently governing the country as he wants. This is so wrong. This is a secular country; he can’t just arbitrarily shut down Instagram,” Dilruba Y. said.
“And to those who support him, let me say this: You are all foolish; you are nothing more than mindless, brainwashed people.”
Her arrest was made after the head of Turkey’s broadcasting watchdog, the Radio and Television Supreme Council, criticized street interviews aired on social media, saying they “manipulate public opinion.”
The Instagram access ban came after a top Turkish official accused the social media platform of blocking posts expressing condolences over the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, a leader of Palestinian militant group Hamas.