Turkish authorities arrested Dilruba Y for her comments criticizing President of Türkiye / Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during a street interview in İzmir, Türkiye / Turkey. Her interview was published on 9 August 2024, on the YouTube channel called Tüylü Mikrofon (www.youtube.com/@Tüylümikrofon).
Her remarks led to charges of “inciting hatred and enmity among the public” and “insulting the president.” On 12 August 2024 she was remanded in custody at Şakran Women’s Closed Prison in Izmir, with the indictment swiftly accepted by the court. Her trial has been scheduled for 3 September 2024.
Her criticism centered around the huge executive powers granted to Erdoğan under Türkiye / Turkey presidential system, connected to the recent ban on Instagram in Turkey / Türkiye. The state official Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) imposed on 2 August 2024 a nine-day ban on Instagram following the platform’s restriction of messages from Turkish officials. Instagram is one of the most used social media platforms in Türkiye / Turkey
Opposition figures condemned her arrest as part of a broader suppression of free speech in Türkiye / Turkey. Representatives from the Good Party (İ) and the Republican People’s Party (Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi – CHP) visited Dilruba in prison, denouncing her detention as an example of the government’s political use of the judiciary.
The case against Dilruba Y. arose after Türkiye / Turkey broadcasting watchdog, the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RadyoveTelevizyonÜstKurulu – RTÜK – https://www.rtuk.gov.tr/en), condemned street interviews aired on social media as “manipulating public opinion.” Her trial will proceed on charges of inciting public hatred and insulting the president. Despite a court ruling dropping one of the charges, she remains detained and her legal battle continues.
The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) condemns the arrest and prosecution of DilrubaY. for expressing her views during a street interview in İzmir, Türkiye / Turkey. Street interviews are important for getting views of individuals and citizen opinions in every democratic country. Silencing critical voices through legal action is an unacceptable violation of freedom of speech and an alarming trend in Türkiye / Turkey ongoing suppression of critical voices. SEEMO calls for her immediate release and will closely monitor the case to ensure that justice is upheld, and press freedom is protected in Türkiye / Turkey.
South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is a regional non-governmental, non profit network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in Southeast, South, East and Central Europe. SEEMO members are in Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova (with the territory of Transdnestria), Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Türkiye / Turkey, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Austria, Italy, Vatican and San Marino have a special status in SEEMO. SEEMO has over 3000 individual members, and additional media as corporate members.
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