Well-known photographer and architect Murat Germen was briefly detained by police on Wednesday evening at Istanbul Airport for “publicly inciting hatred and hostility,” the T24 news website reported.
His wife Sema Germen said the details of the accusations remained unclear, but confirmed that he was questioned by the police’s counterterrorism unit. She added that Germen’s work investigating environmental violations and breaches of urban planning regulations might be a factor in his detention.
German was released on Thursday after questioning.
Germen’s detention provoked widespread criticism from academics, journalists and other public figures, who hailed him as a person dedicated to environmental issues, improved urban planning and the well-being of communities.
Journalist Fatih Altaylı reacted on social media to Germen’s detention, saying, “I’ve never met Germen, but I know him well. He’s an international artist and a brilliant intellectual.” Expressing his shock, Altaylı added, “It makes no sense.”
“Last night, photographer Murat Germen was taken into custody while entering the country from abroad. They told his lawyer that he was detained on charges of ‘publicly inciting hatred and hostility.’ But there is no document or evidence indicating how he allegedly did this. Once again, we’ve woken up to a nightmare,” said non-fiction writer Nilay Örnek.
“We learned that our artist, peace signatory and beloved professor Murat Germen was taken into custody last night while entering Turkey from abroad. We stand by our professor and demand his immediate release!” said an account dedicated to the group “Academics for Peace,” a collective of academics who signed a petition in 2016 calling on the Turkish government to halt military operations in the predominantly Kurdish southeastern region of the country. The petition’s signatories faced prosecution for allegedly engaging in terrorist propaganda for their involvement.
In recent weeks Turkish authorities have intensified their crackdown on academics, artists and journalists. The detention and subsequent arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu in mid-March sparked protests nationwide, including an opposition-led boycott of pro-government businesses and a student-led boycott of classes and examinations. Individuals who publicly supported the boycott were subjected to police detention.
On Wednesday the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), condemned what they described as the ongoing erosion of democracy and human rights in Turkey.
