Arrested Turkish singer Atilla Taş released from jail

Damla GÜLER – ISTANBUL

An Istanbul court on March 31 ordered the release of famous singer Atilla Taş and 20 others after being under arrest over alleged links to the Gülen movement, widely believed to have orchestrated the July 2016 coup attempt.   

Istanbul prosecutors on Jan. 18 demanded up to 10 years in prison for 28 suspects, including Taş, over alleged links to the Fethullahist Terror Organization (FETÖ). 

The suspects, 25 of whom were under arrest, faced prison terms of up to 10 years on charges of being members of an armed organization.
 
Taş, who first rose to prominence in Turkey as a singer, was writing columns for the daily Meydan newspaper, which was shut down as part of the probe into the Gülen network after the attempted takeover. He became more popular on social media with his active role in the summer 2013 anti-government Gezi Park protests.

The indictment stated that dozens of Taş’s tweets posted on Twitter from 2011 to 2016 were examined as part of the probe.