Writer to be tried on charges of insulting prime minister in Turkey

A prosecutor  in Istanbul has demanded the imprisonment of writer Emrah Serbes for from 10 months to 12 years, on charges of insulting Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Istanbul Governor Hüseyin Avni Mutlu and Interior Minister Muammer Güler, Hürriyet Daily News reports.

The writer had earlier made a pun in a TV show by changing the prime minister’s middle name “Tayyip” to “Tazyik,” a word meaning pressurized water in reference to the police’s excessive use of water cannons and tear gas against protesters during the most recent May Day.

The court approved the indictment and commenced proceedings in the case, the report said.