Turkish prosecutors have launched an obscenity investigation into pop singer and songwriter Mabel Matiz over the lyrics and music video for one of his songs, three months after he was acquitted of the same charge in a separate case, the T24 news website reported on Thursday.
The İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office opened the investigation into “Ha Leylim” (Oh, My Beloved) by Matiz, 40, whose real name is Fatih Karaca, on suspicion of violating Article 226 of the Turkish Penal Code.
“The video clip for the song ‘Ha Leylim,’ performed by the singer publicly known as Mabel Matiz and released on digital platforms, has been assessed, together with its lyrics and visuals, as potentially falling within the scope of the offense of obscenity,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
The office said it had launched the investigation ex officio to establish the facts and carry out the necessary investigative procedures.
No further details about the allegedly obscene content or the stage of the investigation were provided.
The investigation comes after an İstanbul court acquitted Matiz on May 8 of obscenity charges stemming from the lyrics of his song “Perperişan” (Devastated), ruling that the legal elements of the alleged offense had not been established.
Matiz had been tried at the İstanbul 54th Criminal Court of First Instance on charges of publishing obscene content, an offense punishable by six months to three years in prison under Article 226.
Prosecutors claimed that the lyrics contained obscene descriptions and had been made available on digital platforms accessible to children. At an earlier hearing the prosecutor alleged that the song included “bodily and emotional metaphors” with sexual connotations and sought a sentence of up to three years.
The case was launched after the Interior Ministry filed a criminal complaint, while the Ministry of Family and Social Services sought restrictions on access to the song, alleging that it violated public morals.
A court subsequently blocked access to the track on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music, although the platforms did not entirely remove it.
Matiz, who is openly gay and has enjoyed a large following in Turkey’s pop music scene since the early 2010s, denied the accusations. He said his song draws on the tradition of Turkish folk literature, using metaphors to tell a love story.
This article is republished from Turkish Minute.
