Turkish authorities have started taking action against celebrities who supported a boycott of purchases on Wednesday to protest the arrest of İstanbul’s opposition mayor, the Deutsche Welle (DW) Turkish service reported.
Actresses Aybüke Pusat and Başak Gümülcinelioğlu and actors Furkan Andıç, Boran Kuzum and Eray Ertüren were removed from the cast of a drama series on the state-run Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) network after expressing support for the boycott on social media. Additionally, the social media accounts of two other well-known celebrities, Rojda Demirer and Alican Yücesoy, were blocked in the country for the same reason.
Wednesday was declared a “no-buy day” by university students protesting the arrest of İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu last month. The initiative was backed by İmamoğlu’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), which had initially launched a boycott of pro-government businesses and media organizations in protest of the mayor’s arrest last month.
Eleven people were detained on Thursday for backing the boycott, among whom was actor Cem Yiğit Üzümoğlu, who stars in the popular series “Şakir Paşa Ailesi” (Portrait of a Scandalous Family). He also played Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II in the Netflix series “Rise of Empires: Ottoman.”
His detention has drawn widespread criticism from colleagues, who posted messages of solidarity on social media and called for his immediate release.
The Actors’ Union condemned the crackdown on actors, with its president, veteran actress Zuhal Olcay, calling for Üzümoğlu’s release in a video message.
Erdal Beşikçioğlu, the newly elected mayor of Ankara’s Etimesgut district, known for his role as Behzat Ç. in a popular TV series, has criticized the removal of actors from TV series after they voiced support for the boycott.
In a statement on X, Beşikçioğlu said, “The magic of art lies in setting the human soul free. But today, they are trying to stifle this magic. In this country, an artist is dismissed from their job simply for expressing their thoughts. They are being judged not for their art but for their opinions. And the most painful part is that this is being done by TRT — a publicly funded institution that should belong to everyone.”
Beşikçioğlu said artists had the responsibility of speaking up during times of oppression.
İmamoğlu and two İstanbul district mayors were among more than 100 people targeted by detention orders issued by the İstanbul chief public prosecutor on March 19. He was arrested on March 23 and remanded to pretrial detention on charges including bribery, embezzlement and unlawful acquisition of personal data.
Since İmamoğlu’s detention, protests have erupted across the nation, with law enforcement responding with a brutal crackdown.
