Turkish authorities have detained Ahmet Sapa, the Hatay representative of the Köklü Değişim movement, as part of an investigation into social media posts about Azerbaijan. He is the fourth person to be questioned in the probe.
A new name has emerged in Turkey’s investigation into social media posts about Azerbaijan: Ahmet Sapa, the Hatay representative of the Köklü Değişim movement, has been detained. Mahmut Kar, the movement’s chief coordinator, said Sapa was taken from his home in the early hours of October 27 and that his detention is linked to content he posted on social media.
It has not been officially confirmed whether Sapa has since been released or whether a court has ordered his arrest.
A day earlier, on the night of October 26, Muhammed Emin Yıldırım, the movement’s representative in Istanbul, was detained in that city and released after questioning. According to Yıldırım, he is under investigation on suspicion of “insulting a foreign head of state.”
Fatih Erşahin, one of the movement’s young activists, was also released after giving a statement at the Ankara police department. According to the Turkish-language service of Germany’s DW, another unnamed individual was detained and questioned in Ankara before being released. Media reports say legal action has now been taken against four people in total over the matter.
The detentions have triggered wide discussion on Köklü Değişim’s social media accounts. Mahmut Kar suggested the process could be connected to Azerbaijan and asked whether Baku had submitted any list of names to Ankara.
Seven people wanted internationally
This case is separate from another group of individuals Azerbaijan has placed on an international wanted list. The Prosecutor General’s Office of the Republic of Azerbaijan said that on October 19 it ordered the in-absentia detention of Rıdvan Kaya, Zəkəriyyə Cəran (also known as Abdullah İmamoğlu), Fatih Tezcan, Ahmet Şanlı, Fahrettin Taşkaya Saral, Abdurrahman Tumer and Alparslan Tanrıkulu.
According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, the seven are accused of calling for the violent overthrow of the government and spreading hate material based on religion. The office said legal cooperation with the relevant Turkish agencies is continuing as part of the case.
