Independent MP Ahmet Şık under investigation for statement on Boğaziçi protests

The Ankara Public Prosecutor's Office has launched an investigation against Ahmet Şık. The independent MP is accused of publicly calling for crimes in connection with the Boğaziçi protests.

The Ankara General Prosecutor's Office has launched an investigation against independent MP Ahmet Şık. The 51-year-old, who is one of Turkey's most prominent investigative journalists, has been accused of publicly inciting criminal offenses on the basis of Article 214 of the Turkish Penal Code. The background to this accusation is a statement with reference to the student protests against the appointment of the rector of Istanbul's Boğaziçi University by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. If convicted, Şık faces a prison sentence of between six months and five years.

The Office for the Prosecution of MPs, which reports to the Ankara Prosecutor General, said the investigation against Şık was opened following the MP’ statement calling for the release of the students arrested during the protests against the appointment of Melih Bulu as rector of Boğaziçi University. Şık said that it was a “mistaken belief” to assume that the AKP would disappear from the scene if defeated. “The mafia – he added - could not be fought with laws that came from the pen of the rulers. In order to fight for the basic principles of universal legal norms, it is the duty of the citizens to show solidarity with the resistance of the students.”