Ex-PM Davutoglu investigated for insulting Erdogan

An investigation for "insulting the president" has been opened against former Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who served from 2014 to 2016 before moving into opposition, Ankara's public prosecutor announced Thursday. 

The prosecutor's office said it had "opened an investigation regarding publications on social media considered to contain insulting remarks toward the president," without providing further details.

An influential foreign minister from 2009 to 2014, when current head of state Recep Tayyip Erdogan served as prime minister, Davutoglu led Erdogan's first government following his election as president in 2014. 

Long seen as a loyal and compliant ally, he also headed the ruling AKP party, co-founded by Erdogan. But he eventually came to be viewed as a potential rival by the president and was removed from his post as prime minister in 2016.

Davutoglu formally moved into opposition in 2019, founding his own party and rejecting any "cult of personality" while calling for respect for the rule of law — a thinly veiled jab at Erdogan, whom critics accuse of authoritarian drift. Davutoglu, 67, dissolved his party last month and announced his withdrawal from political life.

Tens of thousands of people, including journalists, artists and politicians, have been prosecuted in Turkey in recent years for "insulting the president," sometimes over years-old social media posts.