An İstanbul court ruled on Friday for the arrest of one of the two historians for whom detention warrants were issued for insulting the founder of the modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. The court has arrested historian Süleyman Yeşilyurt on charges of “insulting the memory of Atatürk” and “inciting people to hatred and hostility.” Yeşilyurt turned himself in early on Friday after the warrant was issued, and reportedly denied the insult accusations.
The Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in İstanbul has issued arrest warrants for two television commentators who recently sparked public outrage due to their controversial remarks about Atatürk. Commentators Süleyman Yeşilyurt and Hasan Akar have been accused of insulting Atatürk’s memory and fomenting hatred and enmity among the public.
Yeşilyurt, the host of a TV show called “Derin Tarih” [Deep History] on pro-Erdoğan TV channel TVnet, claimed in a May 6 broadcast that Atatürk’s foster child, Afet İnan, was his illegitimate wife.
After the claims sparked outrage on social media, an official complaint was filed against Yeşilyurt, as well as commentators Mustafa Armağan and Yavuz Bahadır, for “defamation.”
This added to another controversial claim by Akar, an alleged leading figure in the Nur religious community and a commentator who posts videos online, who said “Atatürk was an illegitimate child.” (SCF with turkeypurge.com) May 13, 2017
