Briefly Detained for ‘Stay Home’ Video, Truck Driver Yılmaz: I Think I Lose My Job, Too

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Long-haul truck driver Malik Yılmaz has spoken to bianet: "I think I have been dismissed. This morning, I called my workplace to ask whether I would come this evening or not. They said, 'We will call you' and hung up. It has been 5-6 hours. They won't call, I guess."

After 29-year-old Yılmaz posted a video of himself saying, "It is not the virus that will kill me, but your system will" on his TikTok account, the video has been widely shared on social media. Shortly afterwards, Yılmaz was detained. He has been released on probation later on.

He left school due to economic hardships

Malik Yılmaz tells bianet that both he and his wife have attachment proceedings against them due to their debts. He had to leave school to work, Yılmaz tells us and continues as follows:

"There are attachment proceedings against me, including for my debts to Credit and Dormitories (KYK) from university. There is an attachment even on my salary. I can hardly pay my rent and I am going through worse now.

"That was how our situation was, I also had to leave university to work. I studied Office Management at Kırıkhan Vocational School of Higher Education, but I had to drop out due to economic conditions. My wife is receiving distance education on public relations to help with our economic hardships. Her all grades are AA, she receives high honors.

As to why he shared the video, he says: "I have never taken an active interest in politics, my intention in sharing it was not to revolt. I wanted them to remember the poor and wanted to express that our hands were tied."

Regarding his detention, Malik Yılmaz also tells us, "I wish that I had expressed myself more clearly so that people would not distort the issue and made it look like something else..."

'There were over 10 officers at the door'

Malik Yılmaz recounts how he was detained in following words:

"I was, of course, not expecting that something like that would happen. I got back from work that day, it was 8 in the morning. I slept after an hour. At around 11.50, the door was knocked. The police came in 5-6 vehicles. There were more than 10 police officers at the door, they came and took me. I was first taken to a hospital, then to the Security Directorate.

"Only a couple of questions were asked at the Security. They asked me whether I knew that the video that I shared was a crime according to the Constitution and whether my aim was to provoke the public. I was told that I would stay behind bars at the weekend. When the lawyer came and attended to the proceedings, I was referred to courthouse. I was first taken to the prosecutor's office, then to the judgeship. They asked me the same questions there. And I told them that I did not know the things I said in the video would constitute a crime and my aim was not to provoke the public."

Malik Yılmaz adds, "In my testimony, I told them that we also wanted the poor to stay home, but it was impossible in spite of that."

After deposing to the judgeship, Yılmaz has been released with an international travel ban and on the condition that he gives signatures to the police department once a week.

Yılmaz says that these judicial control measures will not affect his job: "I am a short-haul driver anyway. I do not go abroad, I work within the country. But I think I have lost my job, too." As they have not yet called him back, Yılmaz tells us that he does not know whether he will go to work this evening or not.

'I don't know "stay home" call is based on which law'

Lawyer Erdem Harmaoğlu from the Social Rights Association İskenderun Branch has also spoken to bianet about the issue.

Informing us that Malik Yılmaz faced the possible charge of "inciting the public to not obey the laws" under the Article 217 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), Harmaoğlu has continued as follows:

"In his interrogation, Yılmaz was asked 'whether he was the person in the video, why and for what purpose he uttered the sentences in the video and on which platform he shared the post.' Malik Yılmaz answered, 'I shared this post on my own social media account, I did not have the intention to make it reach large masses of people, there are 100-150 people on my own account. I did not have the intention of provoking the public.'

"Yılmaz also said, 'I did not know that the instruction to stay home was based on a law, I do not know if 'stay home' sentence is a law. I did not have the intention to commit a crime.' At the Security Directorate, he was told 'We say "Stay home" for your own good.' He has been released on probation."

What did Malik Yılmaz say?

"I am not a pensioner, public officer or rich. I am a worker, I am a long-haul truck driver. There is no bread if I do not work. It does not make any difference if I die with your word or due to the virus. But, this virus will not kill me, this system of yours will kill me."

TIR şoförü Malik Baran Yılmaz, 'Evde kal Türkiye ama nasıl kal' diye çektiği videoda evde kal denmesi için önce düzenin değişmesi gerektiğini belirtiyor... pic.twitter.com/XvHiRESuHb

— İSİG Meclisi (@isigmeclisi) March 28, 2020

Speaking to journalist Cüneyt Özdemir, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu has defended the detention in following words:

"I look whether he is really poor or not, whether there is any intention behind it or not. There is no sense in sharing posts that will provoke our nation and causing trouble for what the state does and the patience the nation displays at home. Everyone is having difficulties at home. We are a social state and will not let anyone get hungry or homeless. (AS/SD)