At the first hearing held at the Tunceli 2nd High Criminal Court, artist Pınar Aydınlar was sentenced to one year, six months, and twenty-four days in prison for "making propaganda for an organization." The charges stemmed from songs she performed at the 21st Munzur Culture and Nature Festival in Dersim (Tunceli) in 2023 and two posts on her Facebook account.
During her defense, Aydınlar, who has been involved in folk music for 23 years and has taught students across various regions, argued that her performances were an expression of artistic freedom. She highlighted that one of the songs cited in the indictment was written by Mahzuni Şerif, a figure whose works are widely recognized and embraced by the public.
Aydınlar also addressed the issue of her social media accounts, stating that her Twitter account had been hacked and that she had rejected an offer to pay for its return, which led to unauthorized posts. She insisted that several Facebook accounts were opened in her name by fans, over which she had no control, and denied any involvement in the posts made from these accounts.
The prosecutor acknowledged that the songs Aydınlar performed at the festival fell within the scope of freedom of expression. However, he argued for a penalty based on the Facebook posts, which he claimed constituted "organizational propaganda."
Aydınlar contested the prosecutor's claims, stating, "The posts are not mine, and I do not accept being penalized for posts that do not belong to me." Her lawyer, Murat Arksak, supported her statements and requested an acquittal, arguing that the legal elements of the crime were not met.
Despite these defenses, the court decided to impose a prison sentence on Aydınlar for the charges related to the Facebook posts.
