Calling Interior Minister Soylu 'bald' becomes subject of investigation yet again

Attorney Tugay Bek, once probed for calling Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu bald, said that one of his clients is being investigated for the same reason. Bek's client made a post on social media about Soylu's management of the allegations against specialized sergeant Musa Orhan, who was arrested only for a week for the repeated rape of an 18-year-old woman.

Tuesday January 12 2021 02:25 pm

Duvar English

Attorney Tugay Bek, who was investigated for calling Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu bald, said that a client of his is being investigated for the same reason, the daily Evrensel reported on Jan. 12.

Bek's client reportedly created a social media post with a hashtag that translates to "shut up baldhead" regarding Soylu's reaction to the management of the sexual assault allegations against specialized sergeant Musa Orhan.

Orhan was arrested only for a week after 18-year-old İpek Er committed on July 18, leaving behind a letter that said her death was caused by Orhan's repeated sexual assaults.

Soylu had said that the reason for public outrage surrounding Orhan's release was to cover up activities of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

The post created by Bek's client was detected during "cyber patrols" by the Interior Ministry, a practice that has been deemed unconstitutional by Turkey's Constitutional Court.

Bek also noted that his client is being probed for the same action that was deemed legal when Bek was investigated for calling the interior minister "bald."

"The laws haven't changed since then, so why the investigation?"

Investigations of citizens for calling the interior minister bald shows the extent of the restriction imposed upon Turkey's population, Bek said, adding that police violated a Constitutional Court ruling by continuing cyber patrols, which the top court said were a dramatic violation of constitutional freedoms.