Turkey arrests those who spread hate speech on social media

  In simultaneous operations conducted in 14 states, Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya reported on Wednesday that 27 suspects, including administrators of accounts and websites accused of disseminating "hate and racist speech" on social media platforms, had been detained.

He explained that these prisoners openly incited hatred and hostility among the general populace.

The tweeter resides in Kuwait and claims to be a writer, he said, adding, "We have filed a lawsuit against him, and we will follow up on the case." He went on to explain that the Security Presidency of Combating Cybercrimes coordinated the effort to verify the tweeter's identity with the help of the Intelligence Directorate.

The Ankara Public Prosecutor's Office initiated an inquiry against 27 suspects and prisoners on suspicion of "publicly inciting the public to hatred" and "spreading false information," according to the Turkish "Yeni Safak" website.

It is noteworthy that the pace of hate speech and practices against foreigners increased significantly in Turkey with the beginning of the second round of the recent presidential elections in which President Recep Tayyip Erdogan won, as factions of the opposition played a lot in the string of intimidation and warning against foreigners, especially refugees, led by the Syrians.

The consequences of this were several racist incidents, the most recent of which was a Turkish attack on a Kuwaiti tourist in the state of Trabzon, northeast of the country, on September 17 of this year.