PodcastTurkish governor cancels concert of İlkay Akkaya targeted by pro-gov’t media
A concert that Turkish singer İlkay Akkaya was planning to hold in the southern Ceyhan district has been cancelled after the artist was targeted by pro-government media.
Duvar English
The governor’s office of the Ceyhan district in the southern Adana province has cancelled singer İlkay Akkaya’s concert after the artist was targeted by some pro-government newspapers.
The governor’s office cited the “general security and public order” for its cancellation decision, the Ceyhan municipality announced.
The municipality said that it had actually received the official permission for the concert a week ago but that “the August 30 Victory Day concert was cancelled with an official letter by the Ceyhan District Governor’s Office on a last minute development.”
“We apologize to our artist İlkay Akkaya and all of our Ceyhanlı residents due to the cancellation that occurred out of our initiative,” the municipality said.
Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP)’s Adana lawmaker Burhanettin Bulut slammed the governor’s decision, saying in a social media post: “Their corruption, bribery has been exposed (referring to government officials) but they are still in an effort to ban concerts. The rulership that is scared of festivals, art, artists, and folk songs has banned İlkay Akkaya’s concert in Ceyhan. You will go away in the first election with your bans and animosity towards art and artists.”
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