Turkish NBA star faces four years in prison for insulting Erdogan
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – A prosecutor in Turkey has requested a Turkish basketball player be jailed for up to four years for insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Wednesday.
Enes Kanter of the American National Basketball Association’s (NBA) New York Knicks faces up to four years in jail for comments he made about Erdogan on his social media accounts.
According to the indictment on Wednesday, prosecutors said the Turkish NBA star used Twitter to “defame and deride” Erdogan, Anadolu reported.
Meanwhile, Kanter responded to the prosecution, adding screenshots of the media reports.
“I have said less than that honorless (man) deserves. Add another [four] years for me, master,” he told his 526,000 Twitter followers.
Az bile demişim o Şerefsize.
— Enes Kanter (@Enes_Kanter) December 20, 2017
Bir 4 de benden koy usta.!!!!
??? pic.twitter.com/fRR5UVS4ra
Earlier this year, the 25-year-old had his passport revoked by Turkish authorities, and an arrest warrant was issued after a Turkish court labeled him a “fugitive” over his support of US-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen.
The Turkish basketball player was detained in May when authorities were made aware his passport had been revoked, leading Kanter to call Erdogan the “Hitler of our century.”
He would later return to the US where he holds a green card that allows him to live and work in the country on a permanent basis.
Ankara accuses Gulen, who has lived in exile in Pennsylvania since 1999, of masterminding the attempted military coup in July 2016 to overthrow Erdogan’s government.
The New York Knicks star is a long-time supporter of the Islamic cleric whose extradition the Turkish government is seeking despite Gulen’s denial he was involved in the failed coup.