Kayseri 15th Criminal Court of First Instance fined Selman Yeşilgöz, an executive of the Dersim Research Center, 5,600 TL for criticizing on social media the sale of models depicting Seyid Rıza and Şeyh Said on execution gallows. Murat Kaftar offered the models and figurines for sale on 24 November 2025. Following public reaction, the Trade Ministry halted the sale of the products and police detained Kaftar on a charge of “inciting the public to hatred and hostility or degrading the public.” The Kayseri Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, meanwhile, launched an investigation into Yeşilgöz, who had criticized Kaftar on social media, on a charge of “insult arising from personal hostility.” The court fined Yeşilgöz 5,600 TL. Yeşilgöz appealed the ruling through his lawyer, saying his post arose not from personal hostility but from criticism of an event concerning society’s historical memory and values, and described the punishment as unlawful.
19 October 2026
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