A woman is being prosecuted in Turkey for her statements on YouTube, in a case seen as a barometer for freedom of expression in the country. Street interviews are popular in Turkey in a society where opinions cannot be freely expressed everywhere. Many people are afraid to express themselves in public. Dilruba K., on the other hand, did not mince her words: last week in Izmir she criticized a YouTube channel not only for the Turkish government’s blocking of Instagram, but also for declaring national mourning for the former Hamas leader Ismail Haniya. “If we abandon the parliamentary system in the middle of the 21st century and hand over the Turkish Republic to a single man, he will treat it as if it were his father’s farm,” he said. He criticized people who believe the ban was right with defiant words: “You are a fool when you surrender your rights to a single person who you consider above God himself.” He criticized the national mourning with the following words: “Why should I feel sad when an Arab died? That doesn’t interest me at all.”

“Rebellion and insult to the president”

That was enough to get him arrested last week on charges of sedition and insulting the president. He was acquitted of the second charge on August 20 – but remains in custody on the first charge and will appear in court on September 3. The indictment was prepared extremely quickly. In her defense, the young woman said: “In my interview I did not attack any state body or any person. I didn’t mean the president or any other person.” He also apologized “if it was misinterpreted.”

Feysel Ock is a lawyer and has so far represented several journalists, including Die Welt correspondent Deniz Yucel, who was jailed in Turkey for several months in 2017 and 2018 for “terrorist propaganda”. He emphasizes that the detention of Dilruba K. was illegal. “One may not like what he says at all. But: All this must be considered in the context of freedom of expression. All the legal steps that have been taken so far have no legal basis”, criticizes Ok. A prominent lawmaker from the ruling AKP party also shares this view: “I condemn what this woman said. I’m even angry because he said those things. But as a jurist, I must say that there is no room for discussion that the arrest is not correct,” Mujahit Birinci said. You also have to be fair to the person you feel angry about, Birinci tells Platform X.

Self-defense instead of rule of law

According to her critics, this decision is about the survival of those in power. “Criminal friends of the government are rewarded with acquittals, while those who express a critical opinion are punished. This shows that the Turkish legal system is no longer a legal system, but an absolute protection mechanism for the government’s actions and statements,” Ok emphasizes. Political scientist Burke Essen from Sabanci University sees it similarly. “There were some red lines for the Turkish state – like Islamization or the Armenian genocide,” he says. “Besides, you could criticize everything and everyone as you like – including the ruling party, the president, the prime minister. Today there are no red lines like there used to be. The only red line concerns how the ruling elite will maintain their power. The government today defines the limits of freedom of expression. It curtails any view that, in its view, could endanger its existence.”

Intimidation is the goal

According to observers, the government’s actions intimidate millions of people. “This arrest is an attempt to silence the voice of the people. It sends a message to people that they should keep their mouths shut,” said Hussain Yildiz, a lawyer for Dilruba K. Essen suspects the arrest could act as a deterrent in the future. “Many people who previously expressed their views freely on the streets will now self-censor. What the government is doing is not just arresting one person, but confining everyone.”

According to Ock, the government will continue to try to suppress critical voices. “The government wants to quickly silence all complaints on the street,” Ok said. The country is at the beginning of a new wave of restrictions on freedom of expression: “Dilruba K. is not the first or the last. He is one of the many people who are in prison in Turkey today for expressing their opinions freely. That was just the beginning. We will have many more similar cases in the future. You’ll see someone get arrested after a street interview.”

Edited by: Kostas Argyros