Turkey puts novelists including Elif Shafak under investigation

Prosecutors target authors whose fiction tackles difficult subjects such as child abuse and sexual violence

Turkish prosecutors have launched investigations into writers of fiction including the award-winning novelist Elif Shafak, in what campaigners are describing as a serious threat to free speech.

The move comes in the wake of a vicious debate on social media in which novelists tackling challenging subjects – such as child abuse and sexual violence – have been accused of condoning these practices. After a page from a novel by Abdullah Şevki was shared on Twitter earlier this week, the Turkish ministry of culture and tourism said it had filed a criminal complaint against the writer.

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