Arrested after criticizing Erdoğan in a street interview, citizen released

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Arrested after he had criticized the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government and President and AKP Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in a street interview, İsmail Demirbaş had his first hearing in Turkey's Mediterranean province of Antalya yesterday (December 7).

CLICK - Citizen arrested after criticizing Erdoğan in a street interview

While Demirbaş has been released pending trial, the next hearing of the case will be held on December 28, 2020.

The release of İsmail Demirbaş has been shared with the public on the social media account of "Kendine Muhabir" (Reporter to Oneself) program, where he expressed his criticisms before:

"I would like to thank the DEVA Party Antalya Provincial Chair Mr. Süleyman Akıncı, who is the attorney of our brother İsmail Demirbaş, and the 4 attorneys from the DEVA Party accompanying him. İsmail Demirbaş has been released, the happiness of his children whom I gave the good news is priceless. The next hearing is on December 28."

İsmail Demirtaş abimizin avukatı Deva Partisi Antalya İl Başkanı sayın Süleyman Akıncı ve beraberindeki 4 deva partili avukata çok teşekkür ederim. #İsmailDemirbas tahliye oldu, telefonda müjdeyi verdiğim çocuklarının mutluluğu paha biçilemez. İkinci duruşma 28 Aralık'ta.. pic.twitter.com/MUIOoPsGoN

— Kendine Muhabir (@KendineMuhabir) December 7, 2020

What happened?

Abdullah Demirbaş criticized the AKP government, its economy policies and AKP Chair and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in his street interview to the reporter of "Kendine Muhabir" (Reporter to Oneself) in Turkey's Mediterranean province of Antalya in October.

Demirbaş said that President Erdoğan should be put on trial at the Supreme Criminal Tribunal for what he had done. Shortly after the video of this street interview was published, Demirbaş was taken into custody by six police officers from his home on the night of October 24.

Released on probation, Abdullah Demirbaş gave another street interview and talked about what he had gone through. He criticized both Erdoğan and the AKP in this interview as well.

Demirbaş was detained again and sentenced to house arrest. The day after, he went to the courthouse to object to his house arrest. Submitting a petition there, he was arrested and sent to the Antalya Type E Prison.

'My father did not commit a crime'

As reported by Hacı Bişkin from Gazete Duvar, Melih Demirbaş, the son of Abdullah Demirbaş, denounced the arrest of his father:

"My father did not do anything wrong. He suffered so much because he had expressed his opinions. He did not commit a crime. Unfortunately, in the country where we live, people are arrested for expressing their own opinion. I want my father to be released as soon as possible." (EKN/SD)