Kurdish singer Ferhat Tunç was released from custody on Monday, detained in an investigation based on accusations of terrorist organization membership and propaganda.
Tunç was detained on his return to Turkey from Germany during a passport check in Istanbul.
He was taken into custody over remarks he made about the southeastern town of Sur and its devastation during counterterrorism operations in 2016.
Speaking to reporters after his release, Tunç said he always sang for peace and brotherhood and that he would never leave Turkey even if they put him in prison.
Tunç criticized the investigation into his comments because Sur had suffered tremendous devastation. “It is a pity that sensitivity over such destruction is perceived as terrorist propaganda,” Tunç said.
In 2016, several Kurdish towns in Turkey’s Southeast were subject to long-term curfews, military operations and destruction in which many civilians died and hundreds of thousands were forced to relocate.