Mahir Akkoyun, the designer of stickers which have been affixed to some products in supermarkets in Turkey by a group protesting high inflation and the decrease in purchasing power in the country, announced on Twitter that Turkish police detained him on Friday morning.
Visual communication designer Akkoyun was transferred to a criminal court after he was detained in the western province of İzmir, the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Istanbul Provincial Deputy Chairman Kaan Akın announced.
Akkoyun, who was later released with a ban on leaving the country, is accused of insulting the president.
The stickers that Akkoyun designed for free and shared on Twitter read: “Do you find this product expensive? Thanks to Erdoğan. Keep this in mind when voting.”
“This product is expensive because of us,” reads another sticker, which features photographs of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his ally Devlet Bahçeli, leader of the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).
The economic crisis in the country is evaluated by analysts as one of the most important reasons that would lead to a decline in voters’ support for Erdoğan. Economists forecast that before any hope of recovery, the country’s already-slowing economy will only get worse because of its structural weakness.
“Guided by Erdogan’s unorthodox belief that high-interest rates fuel inflation – although economic textbooks say the opposite is true – Turkey’s central bank has kept interest rates artificially low since 2018,” wrote Bloomberg recently. “The side effects of that policy, which have included soaring inflation, a weak currency and dwindling appeal for lira-denominated instruments, have sent foreigners running,” it added.
Insulting government officials is considered a crime in Turkey. Observers of the country such as human rights organisation Freedom House say the flexible interpretation of the definition of “insult” has allowed the government to widely use this law to silence critics.
According to a 2021 report, a total of 38,581 people were indicted for insulting the president from 2014 to 2020, a six-year period of Erdoğan’s presidency. The figure for the previous five presidents, in the 20 years from 1994 to 2014, was only 1816, Mezopotamya Agency reported.
