On Wednesday, four media members from TV network, Kanal D were charged of insulting President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan over the controversial "Murderer ErdoÄŸan" banner. The Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor's Office indicted the media men of five years and four months in prison.

Kanal D news presenter, Ä°rfan DeÄŸirmenci; Editor-in-Chief Süleyman Sarılar; News Director, Fevzi Yeniçeri; and News Editor, Ali Ekber Aydın were indicted during the court hearing in Instanbul. The four members of Kanal D accused over the "Murderer ErdoÄŸan" banner face up to five years of jail terms, En. Cihan reports.  Under the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) Article 299, insulting the president is considered as a crime that could be punishable by one to four year sentence. The article also claims that if the crime was done through the public venue, the jail term will be lengthened by one-sixth.

Todays Zaman says that during the airing of "Kanal D Haber Günaydın" (Kanal D News Good Morning) on on Sept. 30, 2015, a banner that read "Murderer ErdoÄŸan" appeared three times. During the program, DeÄŸirmenci introduced the report of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) leader Selahattin DemirtaÅŸ' speech in advance of the June 7, 2015 election. While reporting, the "Murderer ErdoÄŸan" banner was seen in the background. The Kanal D employees are facing accusations of "insulting a public official by means of media."

Hurri Yet Daily News adds that the indictment of the four media men over the "Murderer ErdoÄŸan" banner is supported by a clear evidence to insult the president. The indictment also claims that although the freedom of speech is essential in democratic societies, the law will not tolerate any exaggerated, offensive and insulting statements.

As of December 2015, 250 people were charged for offending ErdoÄŸan. Under the Article 125 and 299, 42 journalists were indicted out of the 93 criminal cases.