11 released in İstanbul, 3 students freed in Ankara
11 people, including actor Cem Yiğit Üzümoğlu, were released under judicial control, while 3 of the 4 students arrested in Ankara have also been released.
A boycott was launched in response to the lack of impartial media coverage during the process that began with Ekrem İmamoğlu's detention and continued with his arrest, as well as the arrest of hundreds of young people.
On 2 April, the boycott turned into a general one-day action to demonstrate the power of the public through consumption and to send a message to the entire market. Alongside millions of citizens, numerous public figures also supported the boycott calls.
Following the government’s targeting, the judiciary also took action against the boycott. As part of an investigation launched by the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office into those supporting the boycott on social media, detention orders were issued for 16 individuals. In the operation carried out against those with detention orders, 11 people were taken into custody.
The detainees are under investigation for “hatred and discrimination” and “inciting the public to hatred and hostility.” Social media posts by the 31-year-old actor related to the rallies in Saraçhane and Maltepe were also included in the case file.
RELEASED UNDER JUDICIAL CONTROL
The 11 individuals, including Cem Yiğit Üzümoğlu, were released under judicial control with a ban on leaving the country. In his first statement after the release, Cem Yiğit Üzümoğlu said: “There is nothing more we can do than to remind everyone of their constitutional rights. We will continue to fight. There is no salvation alone, either all of us together or none of us.”
3 OF THE 4 STUDENTS ARRESTED IN ANKARA HAVE BEEN RELEASED
Following the detention of İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu’s colleagues and businesspeople, protests erupted across the country, during which many students were detained and subsequently arrested. In Ankara, 3 of the 4 students who had been arrested have now been released. In a statement by the Ankara Branch of the Contemporary Lawyers Association (Çağdaş Hukukçular Derneği Ankara Şubesi), it was stated that “3 of the 4 students arrested in Ankara were released under judicial control following our appeal.”
