EYLEM SONBAHAR
A Turkish court on Friday ordered the release of Bekir Aslan, known on social media as "Basel," who had been jailed for three months on charges of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan over a social media post. During his defense, Aslan said the controversial tweet had been aimed at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, not Erdoğan.
The first hearing in Aslan’s trial was held at the 18th Criminal Court of First Instance in Istanbul, where he was facing charges of “insulting the President” under Article 299 of the Turkish Penal Code. The case stems from a July 7, 2025 post on his X (formerly Twitter) account, which read: “The day you die, I won’t even know what to do out of joy. Just die already.”
Aslan was brought to the courtroom from Marmara Closed Penal Institution in Silivri, a prison complex west of Istanbul known for housing political detainees. He appeared in court under gendarmerie escort. President Erdoğan’s lawyer did not attend the hearing, citing a scheduling conflict, while Aslan’s defense attorneys were present.
“This tweet was aimed at Netanyahu”
After confirming his identity and listening to the indictment, Aslan began his defense statement:
“I do not accept the charge. There is no name or image in the post referring to President Erdoğan or his office. I had seen a report that Donald Trump was scheduled to meet Netanyahu. That same day, Israel had bombed Gaza. I shared this post in that context. It was aimed at Netanyahu. My post was about the Israeli prime minister, a murderer. If you ask why I didn’t name him—it’s because accounts that post about Netanyahu and Elon Musk often get suspended on Twitter. I’ve now been in jail for three months because of this tweet. I request to be acquitted and released.”
“The media reported the case before I even saw the file”
Attorney Fatih Karataş opened his defense by saying the entire arrest and investigation process had been riddled with procedural violations:
“The police waited outside my client’s apartment, calling everyone to the door. Contrary to what the file says, they never knocked. After checking IDs, the officers just said, ‘You’re under arrest, you’re coming with us.’ Before I could even get to the Vatan Police Station or see the case file, a reporter from the Yeni Şafaknewspaper published a news report specifying which tweet and what charge my client had been detained for. This is a clear violation of the confidentiality order in the investigation.”
Attorney Begüm Sıla Burak also spoke in defense of Aslan, arguing:
“Regardless of whom the post was about, the language is a form of wishful thinking. According to Court of Cassation case law, statements falling under the category of a curse or ill wish cannot be considered criminal insult. He has a permanent residence, so there’s no risk of flight. We demand his immediate release.”
The prosecutor also requested Aslan’s release. The presiding judge ruled in favor of the request and ordered his release from custody.
The court accepted President Erdoğan and his lawyer’s request to participate in the case as intervening parties. The judge also referred the file back to the prosecutor for the preparation of the final opinion and adjourned the trial until Jan. 9, 2026.
Background: What happened?
On July 7, 2025, Bekir Aslan posted the controversial tweet that led to his arrest. He was detained shortly after and formally jailed on July 9. An indictment was filed on Sept. 5, accusing him of “insulting the President.”
The indictment named President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as the complainant and claimed that Aslan’s tweet had been directed at Erdoğan.
