Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan listens during a joint press conference with Bolivian President Evo Morales after their talks at the presidential palace in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, April 9, 2019. Morales is in Turkey on a two-day state visit. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)
ANKARA, Turkey – Turkey's state-run news agency says a court has acquitted HSBC bank's Turkey chief of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan through Twitter.
Selim Kervanci was charged with insulting a state employee for reposting a video in 2013 deemed to be insulting to Erdogan, who was prime minister at the time.
Kervanci told the court on Thursday that he had no intention of insulting anyone and that he had retweeted the video before watching it with the sole intention of viewing it at a later time.
Anadolu said the court ruled there was no criminal intent and acquitted Kervanci. The bank chief faced up to two years in prison.
Human rights groups say thousands of people have been prosecuted in Turkey for insulting Erdogan.
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