Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has reported prominent moderator Fatih Portakal for criticism of the government’s handling of the coronavirus crisis. Erdogan’s lawyer Ahmet Özel had requested the opening of a lawsuit against Portakal because of „completely wrong and manipulative statements“ in social networks, the state news agency Anadolu announced today.
Erdogan accused the moderator of insulting the president, it said. According to Anadolu, the background of the advertisement is a tweet by the moderator, in which he ironically comments on a speech previously given by Erdogan. Portakal indicated with the tweet that Erdogan would soon also want to save the savings of the citizens in the banks because of the crisis, after he had already called for donations.
Authority also files a complaint
The banking supervisory authority BDDK said that it had also lodged a complaint against Portakal because his statements damage the reputation of the banks.
Erdogan had appealed to his compatriots last week to donate to the economically disadvantaged because of the coronavirus crisis. Erdogan’s lawyer Özel emphasized, according to Anadolu, that the donations are voluntary. In March, Erdogan presented an economic package equivalent to around 14 billion euros, which among other things will provide support to companies whose existence is threatened by the crisis.
Portakal moderates Fox TV news. Erdogan had already reacted sharply to the moderator’s statements critical of the government in the past.
