Turkey: Street interview arrest encourages self-censorship

A woman who gave an interview as part of a vox pop in Turkey about the ban on Instagram was subsequently arrested. The legal proceedings against her will have an impact on freedom of expression there in future.

Vox pops - spontaneous interviews of citizens - are very popular in Turkey. However, it is a society in which opinions cannot always be expressed freely and many people are reluctant to speak out publicly.

Dilruba K., however, didn’t mince her words. Interviewed on the street by a YouTube channel in Izmir last week, she not only criticized the blocking of Instagram by the Turkish government, but also the official day of mourning for the former Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, which was decreed around the same time.

“In the 21st century, handing the Republic of Turkey to one man means he’ll treat it like his father’s farm,” she said. Her criticism of those who agreed with the ban was also provocative: “You’re stupid, because you hand over your liberal rights to a single person and see them as being above God himself.” And she criticized the official day of mourning with the comment: “Why should I feel grief because some Arab has died? I’m just not interested.”

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This was considered sufficient grounds to have her arrested last week on charges of inciting hatred among the people and insulting the president. She was acquitted of the second charge on August 20, but remains in custody on the first charge, and is due to appear in court on September 3.

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Veysel Ok [a lawyer who has represented many journalists in Turkey] emphasizes that the detention of Dilruba K. is unlawful. “Someone might not like what a person says, but everything must be considered within the framework of freedom of expression. There is no legal basis to any of the legal steps taken so far,” says Ok.

This opinion is shared by a prominent member of the ruling AKP party, Mücahit Birinci. “I condemn what this woman said. I am even angry because she said these things. But as a jurist, I must say there is no room for debate. An arrest is not right,” he said. Writing on X, formerly Twitter, Birinci commented that one must also be fair to the person toward whom one feels anger.

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Critics say this decision is about the survival of the ruling elite.