Turkish man arrested for social media video marketing 'mafia services'

A court in the southeastern province of Şanlıurfa has arrested a man over a TikTok video in which he is seen marketing mafia-like services. The man named Baran Kejanlı is heard in the video saying that he would be of help to anyone who “have their money stolen” or who “cannot have their issues resolved at the court.”

Duvar English

A Turkish man was arrested on Oct. 1 for a video he shared on the social media platform Tiktok which markets mafia-like services.

The man named Baran Kejanlı is heard in the video saying that he would be of help to anyone who “have their money stolen” or who “cannot have their issues resolved at the court.”

“I call onto everyone who are helpless and cannot have their issues resolved at the court. There is just one address and that is Baran Kejanlı. I would be of help to all of my brothers. We would do what is necessary,” Kejanlı says in the video.

The man was detained and gave his testimony at the Şanlıurfa police station. Afterwards, he was referred to a court, which ordered his arrest on charges of “encouraging people not to abide by the laws.”

Kejanlı was a candidate-hopeful for a ticket from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in the March 2019 local elections for the mayor's office in Şanlıurfa's Ceylanpınar district. Kejanlı has had his photos taken with many AKP officials, including President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and AKP lawmaker Binali Yıldırım.