Police deny 'accidental' detention claims, journalist Elif Çakır responds immediately

Karar newspaper columnist Elif Çakır, who was allegedly wanted by authorities, was detained at the hotel where she was staying in Bursa.

According to the report on the newspaper's website, a police team from the Bursa Police Department arrived at the hotel and took Elif Çakır into custody without providing any information, subsequently taking her for a health check. Despite Elif Çakır's objections that there had been a mistake, the 5-person police team proceeded with the procedures.

According to the report, although the person allegedly being sought was another individual named "Elif Çakır I…", the police ignored this information.

Çakır, who was 'accidentally' detained due to the name confusion, was released hours later.

The Bursa Provincial Police Department, however, argued that the claim that journalist Elif Çakır was detained is not true. In a statement from the police, it was claimed that she was invited to the police department for a National Judiciary Informatics System (UYAP) query due to a name similarity with another person who had an active arrest warrant. 

The statement from the Provincial Police Department recalled that some media outlets had reported claims that journalist and columnist Elif Çakır, who was staying at a hotel in Bursa, had been "accidentally detained." 

The statement explained that after the General Information Gathering Bureau of the Public Security Branch received an alert that an individual named Elif Çakır I., who was wanted for 3 separate incidents including "fraud by using information systems, banks, or credit institutions as a tool," had checked into a hotel in the city, a team went to the address and learned from hotel staff that this person had temporarily left the facility. 

Respectfully announced to the public. pic.twitter.com/aRC1LKmTcL

— Bursa Emniyet Müdürlüğü (@EmniyetBursa) September 29, 2024

'THE SYSTEM WAS MALFUNCTIONING'

The statement noted that the team left their contact information at the reception and asked to be notified when Elif Çakır I. returned, adding the following: 

On the same day, upon the hotel staff reporting that the person named Elif Çakır I. had checked into the hotel, the team went to the hotel and checked whether the UYAP query was active again; when it was not active, the hotel staff was asked to have the person named Elif Çakır I. come down to the reception.

'ELİF ÇAKIR WAS INVITED'

Since the person who came down to the reception was Elif Çakır according to the ID presented, and it was evaluated that the hotel staff might have entered incorrect data and the UYAP query system was malfunctioning, the UYAP query could not be performed at the hotel, and Elif Çakır was invited to our branch directorate. 

'THERE WAS NO DETENTION PROCEDURE'

The team proceeded to the Cyber Crimes Combat Branch, which is the relevant unit for the individual. Upon determining during the investigation at the branch that Elif Çakır was not the wanted Elif Çakır I., the individual was informed that the data entry had been made incorrectly by the hotel staff. Our personnel acted within the framework of necessary courtesy, and the time from being taken from the hotel until her departure from our branch was approximately 20 minutes. Contrary to the claims made by media outlets, there was no detention procedure regarding the individual. Necessary proceedings have been initiated against the hotel in question because the hotel staff made an incorrect data entry.

RESPONSE FROM ELİF ÇAKIR: WHY DID YOU CONDUCT A HEALTH CHECK?

Elif Çakır responded to the Police's statement via social media with the following remarks:

"Dear Bursa Police Department, I am ready to tell you the names of the police officers who mistreated me. Despite me saying many times that there was a mistake, the detention continued. If I wasn't detained, why did you conduct a health check? You didn't invite me? I was treated like a criminal. You know who your officer is who said, 'Isn't your name Elif Çakır? You're a criminal, move over there and wait.'"

Dear Bursa Police Department, I am ready to tell you the names of the police officers who mistreated me. Despite me saying many times that there was a mistake, the detention continued. If I wasn't detained, why did you conduct a health check? You didn't invite me? Treated like a criminal… https://t.co/dsH8N2FRBQ

— Elif Çakır (@elifcakirr) September 29, 2024

News Source: 12punto