President Erdoğan and his family filed a criminal complaint against exiled journalist Metin Cihan for his social media posts. Criticizing the President’s family for being inconsistent, the journalist said, “On October 17, while President Erdoğan condemned Israel for bombing a hospital, his son Burak Erdoğan’s company was loading cargo at an Israeli port. On October 28, while he was again ranting against Israel and calling people to a rally, his son’s ship was loading its cargo and crossing the Strait of Gibraltar.” According to Sabah newspaper, a criminal complaint was filed with the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, demanding a lawsuit against Metin Cihan for “insult” and “defamation” (TCK 267). Upon the complaint, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation (November 29).

14 February 2025

The 46th Criminal Court of First Instance of Istanbul held the first hearing in the trial of journalist Metin Cihan, launched upon the complaint of Burak Erdoğan, son of the President, over his posts on X. Charged with “insult” and “defamation,” Cihan’s trial was adjourned to 15 September (09:30), with the court awaiting the execution of the arrest warrant against him while accepting Burak Erdoğan’s request to join the case.