Wiretapping Operation: 26 Detained

26 individuals including police commissioners have been detained as of this morning within an operation based in the western province of Izmir on “illegal wiretappings”.

İstanbul

26 individuals including police commissioners have been detained as of this morning within an operation based in the western province of Izmir and 10 other cities on “illegal wiretappings”.

The detention order has been issued by Izmir Prosecutor’s Office. It was claimed that among the detainees included police officers and commissioners who have been accused of similar charges in August.

According to Hürriyet newspaper, it was claimed that the detainees have wiretapped public officers, journalists and businesspeople under hoax names that they declared to prosecutors.

Turkey’s famous whistleblower under the twitter account Fuat Avni announced the operation last night. Some of the tweets he sent were as follows:

“When [Interior Minister] Ala’s order on ‘There won’t be an operation against PKK’ was decrypted, the capital had troubles.

“An operation order has been given to change the agenda [in Turkey].

“A call traffic took place on the pending operation files.

“Information has been gathered on the files. I didn’t write until now to acquire the accurate information.

“Even though some [cells in small] cities informed that they are ready, it was ordered to be a big city to bring reaction.

“When Istanbul and Ankara was caught unprepared, it was a necessity to take it to Izmir.

“Tomorrow, there will be an operation against those who have been initially detained in Izmir. There are few new names on the list.” (EKN/BM)

* Photo credit: Emin Mengüarslan/ AA

* Click here to read the article in Turkish.

Origin

BIA News Desk

wiretapping operation fuat avni

Muse postpones İstanbul concert amid anti-government boycott

The organizer of the concert scheduled for June came under fire after labeling the ongoing boycott campaign as "treason," which resulted in their inclusion in the campaign as well.

BIA News Desk

Muse postpones İstanbul concert amid anti-government boycott — Wikimedia Commons

British rock band Muse has announced the postponement of its upcoming concert in İstanbul, originally scheduled for June, amid an ongoing boycott campaign in Turkey that targets companies perceived as close to the government.

“After careful consideration and hearing the feedback from our fans whilst fully respecting their concerns, our show in Istanbul will now be postponed until 2026 so we can ensure DBL Entertainment will not be involved," the band said on social media.

The concert was organized by DBL Entertainment, a company that came under the spotlight after its owner labeled the ongoing boycott as "treason," prompting its inclusion in the campaign.

Public outrage against the company led Norwegian singer Ane Brun and South African comedian Trevor Noah to cancel their scheduled shows in Turkey organized by the same company, following appeals from their fans in the country.

The boycott campaign was initiated by the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) following the arrest of İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu on Mar 19. Party leader Özgür Özel cited the mainstream media's lack of coverage of the massive protests against the mayor's detention as the reason for the boycott, calling on the public to avoid patronizing companies affiliated with the same business conglomerates as those media outlets.

The boycott expanded to a nationwide one-day no-shopping action today, urging people to avoid all forms of spending.

After careful consideration and hearing the feedback from our fans whilst fully respecting their concerns, our show in Istanbul will be now postponed until 2026 so we can ensure DBL Entertainment will not be involved.

Thank you for your ongoing support, it means everything to…
— muse (@muse) April 2, 2025