Atilla Taş's remarks become a talking point: 'I am used to being in prison'

Singer Atilla Taş, who went to a bar in Beşiktaş, Istanbul with his wife Meryem Güler, was asked to leave the establishment.

As the incident escalated, the business owners called the police.

It was stated that the singer and his wife were taken into custody after resisting the police.

Atilla Taş, who was referred to the courthouse today, was arrested, while his wife Meryem Güler was released under judicial control.

'I AM USED TO BEING IN PRISON'

Following the arrest decision, remarks Atilla Taş made in an interview in recent months have become a talking point.

Taş had said, "I am used to being in prison. It's all the same to me. I spent 2 years in prison for no reason; if there is more, I will serve that too. But I will neither turn back from my essence nor my word."

WHY WAS ATİLLA TAŞ ARRESTED?

He began working as a columnist for the Meydan newspaper in April 2015, but the newspaper was shut down five days after the 2016 Turkish coup attempt on the grounds that it was close to the Gülen Movement, which the government held responsible for the coup attempt.

On August 31, Taş was taken into custody in Bursa on allegations of being part of the "media structure" of the Gülen community, which is designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey, and was arrested in Istanbul on September 3 on charges of "knowingly and willingly aiding the organization without being included in the organizational hierarchy."

On October 10, 2016, he married Meltem Güler at Silivri Prison, where he was being held.

While the court process was ongoing, Atilla Taş was released from prison on October 25, 2017. Following the upholding of the 3-year, 1-month, and 15-day prison sentence handed down by the court, he re-entered prison on November 9, 2018.

During this period, Atilla Taş, who spent 3 months in Kocaeli Kandıra Prison, was released in February 2019 under the probation law. While it was anticipated that Taş would serve another 1 year and 2 months in prison, the probation application made by his lawyers resulted in a positive outcome.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), in a decision rendered on January 19, 2021, concluded that Taş's "right to liberty and security and his right to freedom of expression had been violated."