A Turkish court has ordered the detention of 12 people accused of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a rally of opposition candidate Muharrem Ince ahead of Sunday's presidential election, state media reported.
The XNUMX, who were taken into custody pending trial, are accused of "insulting the head of state" in Izmir on Thursday, when tens of thousands of people took part in a rally in Inze.
According to the Turkish state news agency Anatoli, footage of the incident, which took place inside a restaurant in Izmir serving alcoholic beverages, was uploaded to social networking sites.
The footage, which was later released on pro-government websites, shows the accused sitting in a restaurant courtyard shouting Erdogan's name in an ironic tone, while their alleged abusive expressions have been erased.
The rally in Izmir was one of the most impressive in Ince's campaign, which was defeated by Erdogan in the first round of Sunday's presidential election.
Izmir is considered a stronghold of the main opposition party, the Republican People's Party (CHP). There Ince received 54% of the vote.
Thousands of people have been brought to justice in Turkey for allegedly insulting Erdogan after the leader of the conservative Justice and Development Party (AK) became head of state in 2014.