Because of terror charges, the German-Kurdish singer detained in Turkey with the stage name Hozan Cane has been sentenced to six years and three months imprisonment. According to her lawyer, the court in Edirne, western Turkey, found the Cologne woman Cane guilty of being a member of the banned Kurdish Workers' Party PKK. From the allegations of sedition and the insult of the founder of the state Mustafa Kemal Atatürk the court accordingly released the singer.
Hozan Cane was arrested in Edirne at the end of June shortly before the elections in Turkey. She had supported a campaign event of the pro-Kurdish opposition party HDP there.
Canes lawyer Newroz Akalin announced to the German Press Agency to appeal. Her client, who is exclusively a German citizen, is "mentally ill".
Third judgment against Germans within three months
It is the third judgment against German citizens in Turkey within three months. Among other things, the prosecution relied on content that the singer shared on her Facebook and Twitter profiles between 2014 and 2018 during the trial.
According to the indictment Cane is said to have shared photos showing the imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan. Among them was an event in Cologne, on the PKK flags and Öcalan posters are to be seen. The PKK is considered a terrorist organization in Turkey, the EU and the US.
Similar recordings came from the concerts of the singer, so the accusation. In addition, Hozan Cane can be seen in pictures with the leadership of the PKK, such as with the PKK commander Murat Karayilan.
Singer rejected guilt
However, the singer stated during her interrogation that the two Facebook profiles mentioned in the indictment are not hers. Content has been shared on her Twitter account that she does not know about. Photos of her and Karayilan called the singer according to the indictment as a photo montage.
In Turkey, foreigners are repeatedly arrested for social media content. Recently, the Foreign Office tightened the travel advice for Turkey. It warns Germans more clearly than before before criticism of social criticism.
Several German citizens are currently in custody for terror charges. Last year, a series of arrests of German citizens in Turkey triggered a serious crisis between Berlin and Ankara.