Sezen Aksu

In November 2021, Sezen Aksu brought an action against journalist Merdan Yanardağ following remarks she considered an infringement of her personality rights, seeking 100,000 TL. In December 2022, the court awarded her 30,000 TL according to reports. In 2023, while Yanardağ was detained in another case, enforcement of the award prompted further criticism; Aksu also challenged the amount, seeking the full 100,000 TL.

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Protagonist is the complainant

In early 2022, Sezen Aksu's 2017 lyrics describing Adam and Eve as "ignorant" triggered a major campaign by religious and nationalist circles, accompanied by criminal complaints. In a mosque, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made remarks about "tearing out the tongue" of those who insult Adam, widely interpreted as targeting Aksu, before saying he was not targeting her personally. Aksu responded with a text and poem defending her freedom of expression.

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Directly implicated

Sezen Aksu supported the "yes" vote in Turkey's 2010 constitutional referendum while indicating that she considered the reforms insufficient. Her choice triggered political and local reactions, including a campaign to remove her name from a street in İzmir. In 2015, she explained that she had voted in the hope of democratisation and said one should not regret having had hope.

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Political responsibility

In August 2009, Sezen Aksu called Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to express support for the government initiative then presented as a democratic/Kurdish opening and offered to help. She also used the highly controversial phrase that those opposing the process would remain "stained in both worlds", fuelling a strong political reaction.

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Personally implicated

During her Türkiye Şarkıları concerts in 2002, Sezen Aksu included songs and performers in several languages, notably Kurdish, Armenian and Greek. The choice, made around 30 August, prompted strong nationalist criticism and a public reaction from Aegean Army commander Hurşit Tolon, who challenged the timing and meaning of the initiative. Aksu replied that thousands of citizens had sung together and defended it as a message of unity.

State of the evidence

Documented

Legal status — source text

Not applicable

Attribution

Personally implicated