Evren Baris Yavuz, a political communications specialist and political advisor, was arrested late last week over social media posts on President Erdogan’s family – and over an article he says he did not write.
A court in Istanbul on April 13 arrested Evren Baris Yavuz, a political communications specialist and political advisor, in part over an article published 11 years ago that he says he did not even write.
The stated reason for his arrest was “instigating public enmity,” “inciting to committing crime,” and “terror organisation propaganda”.
In a social media post, Yavuz wrote: “They were selling jet fuel to Israel,” using pictures of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s son-in-law Selcuk Bayraktar, and his brother, Haluk Bayraktar,m owners of a company known for its success in the defence industry, armed drones in particular.
This was following the Turkish Trade Ministery’s restrictions on trade with Israel, including materials that are important for Israel’s construction and defence sectors. They include aviation gasoline and jet fuel.
Haluk Bayraktar responded by targeting Yavuz, claiming he works for Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality led by Ekrem Imamoglu, from the main opposition Republican People’s Party, CHP, and linking him to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party. PKK.
“I am addressing Mayor Imamoglu, who has been feeding these PKK members. Call off your leashed dogs. If you have anything to say to us, be brave and say it directly so we can answer,” he wrote.
He also shared a screenshot of an article titled, “Why the Alevis should have had a Kurdistan Workers’ Party of their own,” claiming that Yavuz penned the article in 2013.
Following Bayraktar’s claims, a social media smear campaign started against Yavuz and he was detained by police on Friday.
Yavuz has said the article had nothing to do with him. “The article is not an article written by me. The article was written by Ali Tektas … in 2013 on a website named fraksiyon.org,” Yavuz said in his testimony, 10haber reported.
Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality meanwhile denied that Yavuz is an employee and said it will start a lawsuit against Bayraktar over his claims.
The leader of the CHP, Ozgur Ozel, has also criticised the arrest. “The arrest of political communications specilaist Yavuz, who was targeted for an article … [that] he stated that he did not write, is not compatible with the law. This deliberate arrest must be reversed,” Ozel said on Sunday.
