Turkey: Internet users sued after messages announcing Erdogan's death

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, here during a state visit to Angola, October 18, 2021. Osvaldo Silva AFP / File

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In Turkey, the authorities announced Tuesday the opening of legal proceedings against thirty people accused of "manipulation" and "disinformation" on social networks.

They had spread rumors announcing the death of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

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With our correspondent in Istanbul,

The Turkish police have identified thirty people accused of having propagated "insults, lies and content attacking the honor and dignity of the President of the Republic".

These are Internet users who had shared messages on social networks with the hashtag # ölmüş, which means "he is dead", in reference to Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The investigation could be widened because this hashtag appeared thousands of times on Twitter during the night of Monday to Tuesday.

The president's lawyers announced in the wake of having lodged a complaint for "insult".

Users had found suspicious that the presidency did not announce the leader's schedule, which is not exceptional.

Others brandished as "proof" the tweet of an opposition deputy evoking "

".

Relatives of Recep Tayyip Erdogan finally denied the rumors by posting videos showing him on his way to the presidential palace.

For many years now, the health of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, now 67, has been the subject of speculation at home and abroad.

These rumors seem to be intensifying as the

approach 

, scheduled for June 2023.

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• Turkey

• Human rights

• Social networks

• Recep Tayyip Erdogan