Street interviewers in prison on charges of insulting Erdoğan

Hasan Köksoy and Arif Kocabıyık, known for their street interviews, have been in prison for 21 days on charges of insulting the President.

According to the report by İsmail Arı, these two individuals were arrested on the grounds that they used insulting expressions directed at President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during street interviews conducted on their YouTube channels.

ALLEGATIONS OF "INSULTING THE POPE AND ERDOĞAN"

It is stated that in the interview, in addition to the Pope being insulted by an individual named Halil Kürklü, President Erdoğan was referred to as "Recebo" and a "trickster." Following the spread of these expressions on social media, the Antalya Chief Public Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation and requested that all three suspects be taken into custody.

STATEMENTS FROM THE PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE AND THE JUDICIARY

In a statement issued by the Antalya Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, it was stated that the suspects were requested to be arrested on charges of "insulting the President" and "inciting the public to hatred and enmity." In addition to the arrest request for Köksoy and Kocabıyık, the prosecutor's office also requested the arrest of Halil Kürklü for similar offenses.

In the arrest decisions made by the court, the "suspicion of destroying and concealing evidence" was cited as the justification. Despite the three individuals denying the accusations, it was decided that they should be arrested. These individuals, who were arrested on December 6, 2024, have now been held in prison for 21 days.

The justification for the arrest decision regarding Arif Kocabıyık was stated as "his arrest, taking into account the nature and character of the crime." It was stated that the other two individuals, Hasan Köksoy and Halil Kürklü, were arrested on suspicion of tampering with evidence. During this process, it was noted that both the prosecutor's office and the court approved the detention decision for both suspects.