Turkish prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into British economist Timothy Ash over remarks in which he appeared to group President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan with what he described as “maybe sociopathic leaders.”
The Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in Istanbul announced on Thursday that it had launched an investigation into Ash for allegedly “insulting the president.”
The brief statement said the investigation was opened over comments Ash made during a meeting, although it did not explain why Istanbul prosecutors were handling remarks reportedly made in Bodrum, a resort town in Muğla province.
Ash was discussing the influence of political leaders’ personal interests on government policy when he referred to US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“I mean, we’re in an era of maybe sociopathic leaders, I would say,” Ash said, before mentioning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Erdoğan.
He immediately appeared to realize that he had named Erdoğan and attempted to withdraw the remark.
“Oops, I didn’t say that. Take that back. Stop the video,” Ash said, joking that the comments could appear on the front page of the pro-government newspaper Sabah.
During the exchange, Ash also appeared to jokingly refer to himself as British historian Timothy Garton Ash.
Following news of the investigation, Ash said on X that his reference to Erdoğan was an “genuine slip of the tongue” that he had immediately retracted.
“Absolutely no offence intended,” he wrote, adding that Erdoğan had “stood up valiantly for Gaza & Palestinians, as has Turkiye.”
“No comparison to Netanyahu. Period,” Ash said.
The recording does not contain a direct statement by Ash calling Erdoğan a sociopath. Instead, he used the phrase “maybe sociopathic leaders” before naming Netanyahu and Erdoğan, and then immediately withdrew the reference to Erdoğan.
Ash is a senior emerging markets sovereign strategist at RBC BlueBay Asset Management and an associate fellow in the Russia and Eurasia programme at Chatham House. He has followed Turkey and its economy for more than 25 years.
The investigation comes under Article 299 of Turkey’s Penal Code, which criminalises insulting the president. The offence carries a prison sentence of between one and four years, with the potential sentence increased when the alleged offence takes place publicly.
The provision has long drawn criticism from European institutions and rights groups.
In a 2021 judgment, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Turkey had violated freedom of expression in a case involving an individual convicted under Article 299. The court held that presidents should not receive greater protection from criticism than other individuals through criminal law.
The Council of Europe’s commissioner for human rights also called for the repeal of Article 299 in a 2026 memorandum, warning of its impact on freedom of expression.
The investigation into Ash adds to concerns over the continued use of Turkey’s presidential insult law against public figures and critics.
