Arif Kocabıyık, owner of İlave TV, known for his street interviews, was released a week after his arrest.
Kocabıyık said to the person who called him a “clown” during a street interview, “A clown is someone like you. If you are looking for a jester, look at yourself. A jester is someone who is in the palace, someone who makes the palace happy. Jackal”, he had responded. Due to these remarks, he was charged with “insulting the president” and was arrested on May 7.
Released on May 14, Kocabıyık announced his release with a video he shared on his social media account.
Kocabıyık, who had previously been detained on the morning of March 19 as part of an investigation into the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, was released that day.
In a speech on May 6, President Erdoğan criticized street interviews, saying, “There is terror on the streets under the name of street interviews. Whoever grabs the microphone insults the nation.”
14.05.2025
Diken