Kurdish singer and activist Ferhat Tunç told a news website on Tuesday that he left Turkey due to the increasing number of investigations into him on accusations of terrorism.
Speaking to Artı Gerçek from Norway, the singer said he decided to leave Turkey after learning that two more investigations had been launched. He was recently indicted on terrorism charges and faces a prison sentence of up to 20 years.
The singer said he would settle in Germany as he has family members there.
The earlier indictment says technical and physical surveillance showed Tunç attended meetings of the Democratic Society Congress (DTK), an umbrella group of the Kurdish political movement, on various dates. The DTK is seen as illegal by Turkey.
The indictment also mentions Tunç’s criticism of a Turkish military operation in Syria’s city of Afrin, which began last year, as constituting a crime.