Footage of police raid at Turkish singer’s house draws ire
Several news outlets and social media accounts have shared the video footage of a police raid made at Turkish singer Kalben’s house as part of a drug operation. The sharing of the video and Kalben’s private information has drawn ire on social media.
Duvar English
Turkish police on May 8 temporarily detained singer Kalben Sağdıç, known as Kalben in the music sector, after a house raid as part of a drug operation over allegedly “manufacturing, importing or exporting drugs or stimulants without a license or in violation of a license.”
The 38-year-old singer was later released under judicial control measures on the same day. In a social media statement, Kalben apologized “to have distracted our precious public in this way.”
However, some news outlets and social media accounts have shared the video footage of the police raid made at Kalben’s house as part of the operation. Some news outlets also reported that some amount of money was also “captured” by the police at Kalben’s house, implicitly suggesting that Kalben was involved in drug dealing.
The sharing of the video and Kalben’s private information has stirred a huge reaction on social media.
One of those news outlets, dokuz8haber, issued a statement on May 9, apologizing for sharing the video footage of the raid. The outlet said the moments of the “capture” of the “weed,” which has been “legalized in more and more countries around the world,” were presented as if “a huge drug shipment had been uncovered and a drug lord wanted on a red notice had been captured.”
It added that the content of the post should have been in a way that criticizes the attitude of the police and the media.
“Moreover, we are experienced enough to know that such operations can be used to intimidate artists, intellectuals, and people who insist on not obeying the limits set by the government, and to intimidate larger communities through individual names,” it noted.
Regarding the sharing of the moments of the raid, singer Ceylan Ertem said, “Isn't it a crime to publish these moments? And keeping money at home is a crime? Isn't it wrong that we read on every news site how much money she had at home? Isn't the dissemination of all this information and images an interference in private life?”
Other users criticized the operation, saying “Those who are not strong enough to beat the drug lords are operating against Kalben.”