Arif Kocabıyık, founder of İlave TV, arrested

Arif Kocabıyık, owner of the "İlave TV" account known for its street interviews on social media, has been arrested on charges of insulting the President.

WHAT HAPPENED?

The General Directorate of Security had announced that Arif Kocabıyık, founder of İlave TV, which is known for its street interviews, had been taken into custody. The statement issued by the institution included the following remarks:

'A. K., the manager of the account with the username ilavetv.07 on the Instagram social media platform, was taken into custody by our Antalya Provincial Security Directorate due to the insulting expressions he used towards our President during an interview, and legal proceedings have been initiated against the individual. Respectfully announced to the public.'

ERDOĞAN HAD TARGETED STREET INTERVIEWS

AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had targeted street interviews in his speech at the 10th Anatolian Media Awards Ceremony, where awards were showered upon pro-government media.

Erdoğan had stated, "Everyone who picks up a microphone and a camera thinks they are a journalist, and our nation is being openly provoked on the streets. Especially under the name of 'street interviews,' a kind of terror is being unleashed on the streets. So much so that whoever grabs a microphone finds the audacity to insult the nation."