A Turkish man filed a criminal complaint against his wife for insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, saying he was sorry his marriage had ended, but had "no regrets" about defending a leader who he felt had transformed Turkey, Reuters reported.
Ali Dinc, a truck driver from the coastal city of Izmir, filed the complaint last Friday, adding that she had repeatedly insulted the president with "unspeakable obscenities" while watching his televised speaches.
Insulting the president is a crime in Turkey punishable by up to four years in prison.
Erdogan's lawyers have sued dozens of people for insults, including cartoonists, doctors, a former Miss Turkey pageant winner, and teenagers. But this case appears to be the first time anybody has been sued for insulting the president in the privacy of their home.
"One day I said enough is enough. I will record your insults and I will file a legal complaint. She said: 'Turn on the recorder so I can repeat them'," Dinc told Reuters.
The prosecutor will question Dinc's wife before deciding whether to take the case.
Dinc's wife, who unlike him was an opposition supporter, filed for divorce at the beginning of the month. Ali Dinc has been living on a construction site and in his truck since then, but denies his actions came out of revenge.
"I would do it again. I loved her, but I don't love her anymore. If she'd only have insulted me, I could have accepted that. But I can't accept her insults against Erdogan," Dinc said.
