Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a news conference after meeting with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja, Nigeria March 2, 2016. REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde
ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish prosecutors have opened nearly 2,000 cases against people for insulting Tayyip Erdogan since he became Turkey's president 18 months ago, the justice minister said on Wednesday.
Insulting the president is a crime in Turkey punishable by up to four years in jail, but the law has previously been invoked only rarely. Critics accuse Erdogan of intolerance and say he is using the law to stifle dissent.
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