Anti-refugee social media personalities jailed in Turkey

Eight social media administrators in Turkey, known for their outspoken anti-refugee positions, were put behind bars on Saturday for allegedly promoting racism and spreading hatred online.

In a major operation against misinformation online, prominent figures known for their anti-refugee stance were detained and subsequently jailed. Batuhan Colak, Editor-in-chief of the online news outlet Aykiri, Suha Cardakli, head of Ajans Muhbir, and the manager of Haber Report were among those taken into custody for allegedly "inciting the public to hatred and hostility" and "openly disseminating misleading information".

The operation initially led to the detention of 27 individuals. Of those, 17 were referred to the peace criminal court with a request for their arrest. Six were released by the prosecution without any charges.

Significantly, Eray Erturk, the founder of Victory Party and the President of the "Syrians to Syria Platform," was also among the eight people eventually imprisoned.

However, the administrators of the Twitter accounts, "Karargâh Haber" and "Mülteci Haberler," were set free without any charges.

Ali Yerlikaya, the Minister of Interior, stated about the operation: "In a simultaneous operation conducted in 14 provinces, 27 suspects were detained who were identified as using hate speech online and on social media, openly inciting the public to hatred and hostility, and openly sharing misleading information."