Kurdish filmmaker Kerem Tekoğlu was arrested on Monday on charges of “membership in the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK),” the Bianet news website reported on Wednesday.
Tekoğlu’s arrest is reportedly related to his alleged connections with the former mayor of the Esenyurt district in İstanbul, Ahmet Özer, who was arrested and subsequently removed from his post in late October by the ministry of the interior, based on his alleged ties to the PKK, a group designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies.
Prosecutors claim the filmmaker maintained “continuous and intense” contact with Özer, implying links to the PKK.
Critics have accused Turkish authorities of using such charges to target opposition figures and dissidents.
Tekoğlu’s lawyer, Suphi Özgen, dismissed the accusations of links to the PKK, calling them baseless and emphasizing that the charges refer to strictly professional activities.
According to Özgen, one of the key allegations involves a 2021 conversation between Tekoğlu and Özer. The filmmaker had reportedly sought to adapt a book written by Özer. “These conversations were purely professional and do not indicate any illegal activity,” Özgen said.
Özgen expressed concerns about the handling of the case, alleging that police reports were forwarded to the court by prosecutors without critical examination. “Conversations between my client and Özer were ordinary and professional, yet they’ve been twisted into a justification for detention,” he added. “It’s absurd to claim that a filmmaker collaborating with a mayor on a documentary amount to membership in a terrorist organization.”
The lawyer also criticized what he described as increasing scrutiny of personal social media activity as a tactic in legal proceedings. Özgen pointed out that one piece of evidence presented against Tekoğlu was a social media post celebrating his own birthday, featuring a caption in Kurdish and a picture with traditional Kurdish colors and symbols.
“Social media posts are being taken out of context,” Özgen said. “A birthday greeting becomes part of an investigation and professional interactions are reframed as something sinister. This is deeply troubling.”
The Turkish government has been criticized for leveraging anti-terrorism laws to suppress dissent, particularly by accusing individuals of affiliations with the PKK. This strategy has been employed to target opposition figures, journalists and activists, effectively stifling political opposition and freedom of expression.
