11, including actor, released in Turkiye probe
Apr 04, 2025
Istanbul [Turkey], April 4: Turkish authorities on Thursday released 11 people, including an actor, suspected of spreading calls for a shopping boycott in protest against the jailing of opposition presidential contender Ekremİmamoğlu.
The suspects, taken into custody earlier in the day, were released under judicial control with a travel ban, local media reported.
Prosecutors in Istanbul had launched a probe into a total of 16 people on charges of spreading "hate and discrimination" and "inciting public hostility" including on social media, state news agency Anadolu reported.
Among the 11 detained was actor Cem Yiğit Üzümoğluwho starred as Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II in the Netflix series Rise of Empires: Ottoman.
Writing on social media platform X, Üzümoğlu on Wednesday defended the boycott as a legitimate form of protest and "freedom of expression." The local Actors' Union condemned the targeting of actors.
Source: Qatar Tribune
