The Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in İstanbul has issued arrest warrants for two television commentators who recently sparked public outrage due to their controversial remarks about Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey.
Commentators Süleyman Yeşilyurt and Hasan Akar are accused of insulting Atatürk’s memory and fomenting hatred and enmity among the public.
Yeşilyurt, the host of a TV show called “Derin Tarih” [Deep History] on private television station TVnet, claimed in a May 6 broadcast that Atatürk’s foster child, Afet İnan, was his illegitimate wife.
After the claims sparked outrage on social media, an official complaint was filed against Yeşilyurt, as well as commentators Mustafa Armağan and Yavuz Bahadır, for “defamation.”
This added to another controversial claim by Akar, a leading figure in the Nur religious community and a commentator who posts videos online, who said “Atatürk was an illegitimate child.”