Citizen arrested after criticizing Erdoğan in a street interview

Click to read the article in Turkish

Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Şırnak MP Hüseyin Kaçmaz has submitted a Parliamentary question regarding a citizen who was first placed under house arrest for criticizing Turkey's economic situation and the government in a video interview in Antalya, then has been arrested.

In his question addressed to Vice President Fuat Oktay, HDP MP Kaçmaz has raised concerns that the criticisms targeting the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in general, and its Chair and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in particular ends in investigation and prosecution.

According to the figures shared by Hüseyin Kaçmaz, over 100 thousand investigations have been launched into criticisms about Erdoğan and 30 thousand people have faced a lawsuit for the same reason.

'Arrest after the second criticism'

In his Parliamentary question, HDP MP Kaçmaz has briefly summarized what İsmail Demirbaş went through in this process:

"In this period when all types of criticisms and statements voiced by citizens are considered to be insults, a citizen named İsmail Demirbaş, who criticized the state of affairs in the economy and the government in a street interview in Antalya province, was first placed under house arrest, then he has been arrested and sent to prison.

"After he had criticized the economy and the government in a street interview, the house of 49-year-old İsmail Demirbaş was raided and he was taken into custody. Following this detention procedure, he was sentenced to house arrest. After he criticized the government again in a second street interview, this time, he was detained and has been arrested.

"According to the Article 26 of the Constitution, 'everyone has the right to express and disseminate his/her thoughts and opinions by speech, in writing or in pictures or through other media, individually or collectively. This freedom includes the liberty of receiving or imparting information or ideas without interference by official authorities.'

"While the related article of the Constitution says this, the lawsuits filed against people and their ensuing arrests for solely criticizing the policies of the government shows that the related article of the Constitution is violated."

'Is it a crime to criticize the AKP?'

Against this backdrop, HDP Şırnak MP Kaçmaz has asked the following questions to Vice President Fuat Oktay:

• Is the citizen named İsmail Demirbaş arrested only because he criticized the policies of the government?
• Is it a crime to criticize the AKP's policies and the course of the economy?
• While the related article of the Constitution is obvious, doesn't the arrest of İsmail Demirbaş mean that this article has been violated?
• If criticisms about the bad state of affairs in the economy cannot be directed to the AKP, which has been in power for 18 years, then, to which person or institution are these criticisms to be directed?
• Will any action be taken to ensure the release of the citizen named Abdullah Demirbaş, who has been arrested just because he criticized the government's policies?
• How many people have faced a lawsuit and/or been arrested for criticizing the AKP and its policies in the last 18 years?

CLICK - 36 thousand people investigated for 'insulting the president'

What happened?

Abdullah Demirbaş criticized the AKP government, its economy policies and AKP Chair and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in his street interview to the reporter of "Kendine Muhabir" (Reporter to Oneself) in Turkey's Mediterranean province of Antalya in October.

Demirbaş said that President Erdoğan should be put on trial at the Supreme Criminal Tribunal for what he had done. Shortly after the video of this street interview was published, Demirbaş was taken into custody by six police officers from his home on the night of October 24.

Released on probation, Abdullah Demirbaş gave another street interview and talked about what he had gone through. He criticized both Erdoğan and the AKP in this interview as well. 

Demirbaş was detained again and sentenced to house arrest. The day after, he went to the courthouse to object to his house arrest. Submitting a petition there, he has been arrested and sent to the Antalya Type E Prison.

'My father did not commit a crime'

As reported by Hacı Bişkin from Gazete Duvar, Melih Demirbaş, the son of Abdullah Demirbaş, has denounced the arrest of his father:

"My father did not do anything wrong. He suffered so much because he had expressed his opinions. He did not commit a crime. Unfortunately, in the country where we live, people are arrested for expressing their own opinion. I want my father to be released as soon as possible." (EKN/SD)