Executives from both the nationalist opposition İYİ (Good) Party and the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) visited Dilruba Kayserilioğlu in prison after she was arrested for remarks made during a street interview criticizing the government.
İYİ Party officials, led by Cenk Özatıcı, head of the party’s National Security and Migration Policies, visited Kayserilioğlu on Wednesday. She was arrested earlier this month after making critical remarks during an interview, leading to charges of “inciting hatred and enmity among the public” and “insulting the president.”
Kayserilioğlu, who had criticized the government’s temporary ban on Instagram, faced swift legal action after her comments were broadcast on the “Tüylü Mikrofon” YouTube channel. Despite a recent court ruling that released her from the charge of insulting the president, she remains in prison on accusations of inciting public hatred.
After the visit Özatıcı emphasized that Kayserilioğlu remains in high spirits despite her detention. He condemned the Turkish government’s use of pretrial detention as a tool to silence critics, contrasting Kayserilioğlu’s continued imprisonment with the recent release of Dilan Polat, who faces charges of tax evasion and money laundering. Özatıcı said the case exemplifies how the government uses the judiciary as a political weapon, stifling dissent while allowing those with connections to evade justice.
Özatıcı was accompanied by İYİ Party İzmir Provincial Chair Ülkü Doğan and Aliağa District Chair Deniz Hancı. During the visit Kayserilioğlu reportedly requested that her case be used to highlight the broader issue of injustice in Turkey, particularly the government’s treatment of dissenting voices.
Following the İYİ Party’s visit, a delegation from the CHP, including CHP Deputy Chair Gökan Zeybek and women’s branch chair Asu Kaya, also met with Kayserilioğlu in prison. Zeybek and Kaya expressed outrage over her continued detention, with Zeybek noting that the CHP would closely monitor the upcoming court hearing scheduled for September 3. He called for her immediate release, warning that continued detention would undermine public confidence in the judiciary.
Kayserilioğlu was arrested after she criticized President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for a recent ban on Instagram in a street interview in the western province of İzmir.
An investigation was launched into her for her remarks criticizing Erdoğan and supporters of his Justice and Development Party (AKP) government in the interview over the ban on Instagram, which was lifted on August 10 after remaining in place for nine days.
According to the indictment drafted by İzmir prosecutors, Kayserilioğlu will be tried on charges of inciting hatred and enmity among the public and insulting the president.
The first hearing of her trial has been set for September 3. She be held in pretrial detention until this date, according to a statement from her lawyer, Hüseyin Yıldız.
Her arrest was made after the head of Turkey’s broadcasting watchdog, the Radio and Television Supreme Council, criticized street interviews aired on social media, saying they “manipulate public opinion.”