Taylan Kulaçoğlu, a popular anti-government Twitter user who was arrested in May after being targeted by pro-government media circles in Turkey, has been released from jail, his lawyer announced.
Kulaçoğlu appeared at the Balıkesir 3rd High Criminal Court on Wednesday. Kulaçoğlu’s lawyer announced on his Twitter account that his client has been released in consideration of the evidence in the case.
Kulaçoğlu’s arrest came after pro-government media outlets ran stories about him, claiming that he was the founder of an anti-government social media movement called “İsimsizler Hareketi” (movement of the nameless), aiming to foment chaos in the country.
Kulaçoğlu had spent 12 days in detention in 2016 as part of an investigation into Turkish hacker group RedHack for alleged membership in the group. The suspected members were detained immediately after RedHack claimed it had hacked the email accounts of Berat Albayrak, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s son-in-law and then-energy minister of Turkey.
Dozens of journalists and social media users are behind bars in Turkey due to their critical views, while thousands of people from all walks of life face investigations every day because of their criticism of the Turkish government and government officials on social media.