4:24pm: Asked today about the situation, Kanter called Erdogan a “maniac” and indicated that the threat of jail won’t stop him from speaking out against the current regime in Turkey, per Zach Braziller of The New York Post. The Knicks center also joked that he had expected Turkish prosecutors to pursue a stronger sentence.
“I was like, ‘That’s it? Only four years?’” Kanter said. “All the trash I’ve been talking?”
Although he downplayed the indictment, Kanter expressed concern for his family still in Turkey, noting that he can’t communicate with them because of the repercussions they would face.
10:08am: Turkish prosecutors are seeking more than four years in prison for Knicks center Enes Kanter for insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to a report from The Associated Press.
Kanter, who was detained in Romania in May after his Turkish passport was canceled, has been extremely critical of Erdogan in the past, comparing him to Adolf Hitler. The AP’s report notes that the indictment prepared by the Istanbul chief prosecutor’s office cites a series of tweets published by Kanter in May and June of 2016.
Kanter was eventually able to return to the United States after being detained in May, at which point he expressed a desire to become a U.S. citizen. Shortly after that incident, Turkey issued a warrant for Kanter’s arrest.
Assuming prosecutors move forward with this case, Kanter would be tried in absentia, per The AP. No matter what the outcome is, the 25-year-old is extremely unlikely to return to Turkey anytime soon. Kanter’s family has disowned him as a result of his support for Fethullah Gulen, who was blamed by Turkey for last year’s attempted military coup.
And people complain about life in the US
Wow think about how many people would be arrested here in the states for that!
In the US, at any given moment about exactly half of the population thinks whoever the sitting president happens to be is the antichrist and civilization will cease to exist tomorrow if you don’t plan to vote for the opposing party in the next election. The names change… and that’s about it.
yep like most politicians. it’s blind loyalty. people don’t read or listen anymore they just note along party lines. 5% of the people do the thinking for 100% of the population.
I don’t think that’s correct.
I think the dividing line is very clear and people on both sides feel very strongly about what they believe. Times are different now.
In regards to the general public, I agree. In regards to the politicians making the decisions for their respective cities, state, or country, I feel that they tend to blindly side with their party. They will blindly vote for or against certain bills just because the other party proposed it.
People think they feel strongly about things but they’re really just blissfully accepting the ideologies of their chosen political party. If the opposing party suggests or does something it’s automatically wrong.
If this were true, Doug Jones wouldn’t have won in Alabama
My comment refers to political ideology. Sexual assault is not an ideology.
Doug Jones won, not because republicans voted for him, but because republicans voted for write-ins…
I like how far on the right of the page this is
Love the username
A relatively small number of people actually have some consistent articulable ideological system. People like buzzwords, personalities, and storylines.
Hang him? We are in 2017 almost 2018 and your saying hang him which hasn’t been done for a long long time. You can’t just hang him for having an opinion.
Enes Kanter was part of the fail coup attempt last year. He was an operative passing sensitive information. He is a traitor to his country. Only the harshest punishment is permitted.
You sound like a terrorist.
Yamsi’s just a proper muslim.
Lol
You most certainly can, just not in Western democracies. Turkey is neither western nor a democracy
I think it’s also worth noting that the Trump administration has generally had favorable views of erdogan and turkey is a key regional ally. I wouldn’t completely remove extradition from the equation
I think it’s also worth noting that you should read extradition treaties before talking about them on the internet.
Erdogan should be grateful for his life. Not many people know how close he was to death, during the failed coup rebels were going to shoot down his plane when he was running away from the country, during the failed coup d’etat last year but his pilot managed to convince the rebels it was a civilian airliner, not presidential gateway plane and he was able to live to be a dictator and seek jail people another day.
I wonder if Kanter knows this? Lmao It Sucks for him, lol
And also there is a strong belief in the international community that it was a stunt… an excuse to remove all his opposition and throw them in jail and then rewrite the constitution and laws of turkey
Turkey should just remain something we eat on Thanksgiving and stop trying to be a country and stuff
Totally intelligent comment.
Agreed.
I just listen blindly to who and whatever on twitter.
The President of Turkey can’t handle any criticism? Talk about a snowflake