Freemuse called upon Turkish authorities to drop all the charges against Tunç and launched a petition campaign for the Kurdish musician.

A statement by the organization read:

“Ferhat Tunç is being prosecuted for his peaceful expression … again.

For the last 10 years of his over 30-year career as an artist, Ferhat has been the target of numerous government investigations and cases against him because of his music and other peaceful expressions.

Ferhat is now having to defend himself in not one, but two, new cases against him. Together, the charges amount to more than 10 years imprisonment.

Despite a February 2015 ruling by the European Court of Human Rights that Turkey violated Ferhat Tunç’s right to freedom of expression by sentencing him to prison, he is now facing new charges of “propaganda of a terrorist organization” and “insulting the President” in two separate cases related to posts shared on social media

Ferhat’s case is a testament to how Turkish authorities continue to harass, persecute, attack and imprison artists, cultural producers and publishers. In particular, the artistic environment in Turkey has deteriorated since the attempted coup in 2016, with hundreds of artists in Turkey like Ferhat facing repression and restrictions on their freedom of artistic expression.

Your actions are important and can make a difference in Ferhat’s life and the lives of others like him in Turkey.

Stand in solidarity with these artists and demand that Turkey drop all the charges against Ferhat Tunç.”

More information and the petition can be found at: