Reactions grow against historians for insulting Atatürk

Reactions are growing against three historians over insults against Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey, in a TV program.

Mustafa Armağan, the host of a TV show called "Derin Tarih" (Deep History) on private television stations TVnet, claimed in a May 6 broadcast that Atatürk's foster child, Afet İnan, was his illegitimate wife.

After the claims stirred outrage on social media, the Ankara Prosecutor's Office filed an official complaint against Armağan, as well as commentators Süleyman Yeşilyurt and Yavuz Bahadır, for "defamation."

Hasan Akar, a religious commentator who posts videos online, recently raised eyebrows by claiming that Atatürk's mother was a sex worker in Thessaloniki and that Atatürk was an illegitimate child.

An investigation was launched into Yeşilyurt over "insulting Atatürk's memory" by the Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor's Office due to his comments on the program, while another investigation was launched into Akar over his comments on Atatürk's mother. 

An order for Yeşilyurt and Akar to be detained was given to the police by the prosecutor's office, Anadolu Agency reported on May 9. 

Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım reacted harshly to the comments on the show, saying he strongly condemned them.

"Atatürk is our national value. I strongly condemn this and attempts similar to this. Whatever is necessary will be done legally," Yıldırım told reporters in a press conference in Ankara on May 10, adding that they could not accept any insults directed at Atatürk.  

"We will do whatever is necessary to bring our country, which was entrusted to us by thousands of martyrs and was founded by our heroes, forward. Our history doesn't have anything that can shame us. We think...