During the speech by mother Elif Sönmez, who took the stage to talk about the fundraising campaign at the festival, Gökhan Güney said, "There are 19 village headmen (muhtars) here; you should tell them, they will organize this matter.
Let me sing a few songs, excuse me." The footage spread quickly on social media after these remarks. The video, shared with claims that the artist silenced the mother, was criticized by numerous users.
Following the backlash, Gökhan Güney issued a written statement, noting that he was unaware of the fundraising campaign during the concert and that the incident was a misunderstanding. Güney stated that his wife had met with the family, and he promised to provide all kinds of support and to hold a free concert for the benefit of the family.
In his statement, Güney noted that the situation was being judged based on a few seconds of footage, and he explained that he had intended to convey that the support of the local village headmen present at the venue could make a significant contribution to the campaign, adding that his words were misinterpreted.
Allegations of silencing the mother of a baby with SMA:
— 12punto (@12puntocomtr) June 29, 2026
Statement from Gökhan Güneyhttps://t.co/bXtxLms5yT pic.twitter.com/gWL41yNkTl
News Source: İHA
