Woman released after arrest over street interview

İZMİR

A woman arrested for her remarks during a street interview in the western city of İzmir has been released following her detention earlier this month.

Dilruba Kayserilioğlu, 33, was taken into custody on Aug. 12 after a video surfaced on a YouTube channel where she criticized a nine-day access ban imposed by Turkish authorities on Instagram.

"If we were to leave the parliamentary system at the heart of the 21st century and hand over the great Turkish Republic to a single man, he would use it like his father's farm," she remarked in the video.

Kayserilioğlu also referred to supporters of the access ban and a new law regarding stray dogs as "idiots."

Her lawyer, Hüseyin Yıldız, initially objected to her detention on charges of "insulting the president," but the objection was rejected.

After a second objection, the court lifted her detention on those charges, imposing a travel ban instead. Kayserilioğlu remained in custody on additional charges of "inciting the public to hatred and hostility."

Following another objection, she was released from detention.

"Our objection has been accepted and our client Dilruba Kayserilioğlu has been released," Yıldız announced in an X post on Aug. 30

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel visited Kayserilioğlu in İzmir's Aliağa Prison the day earlier.

She is scheduled to stand trial on Sept. 3.