Ankara-Sana
Two Turkish actors, Mujdit Ghizan and Metin Akpinar, are facing prison terms for criticizing the Turkish regime's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in comments they made during a TV program.
Agence France-Presse reported that the 77-year-old Ghazan, who was nominated as a goodwill ambassador to the United Nations, is the latest victim in the battle waged by Erdogan against his opponents, artists and journalists, as he is being prosecuted along with his 79-year-old colleague Akpinar for comments they made during the program. TV on the opposition Hulk TV channel.
Ghazan said during the program, "You, Erdogan, cannot test our patriotism, I know your limits," while Akpinar said, "If we fail to achieve democracy, the leader may end up suspended by his feet or poisoned in a basement, as happened in all fascist regimes."
These comments angered Erdogan, who continues his repressive policies inside Turkey against anyone who criticizes the authoritarian practices of his regime, while the public prosecutor of his regime has demanded a prison sentence of up to four years and eight months for both representatives.
Despite the ongoing legal measures against him, Ghizan, who has written more than 50 books, continues to express his concerns about the direction his country took during Erdogan's era, noting that “Turkey has a record number of journalists in prisons, and this is unprecedented in all of its history.”
During the three years following the coup attempt, the Turkish regime authorities imprisoned more than 77,000 people and took dismissal or suspension decisions against about 150,000 workers in the government, the army, the judiciary, education and other institutions.