Our newspaper’s accounting employee Emre İper in a temporary cell and denied family visitation

Our newspaper’s accounting employee Emre İper was placed in pre-trial detention yesterday for his Twitter posts and a three-line information note from the Anti-smuggling and Organised Crime Branch. Even though it could have been determined from expert examination that ByLock is not on İper’s telephone, our employee has been deprived of his freedom. Lawyer Celal Ülgen reacted to İper being detained with reference to Montesquieu’s words, ‘There is no greater tyranny than that which is perpetrated under the shield of the law.’ Ülgen commented as follows to Cumhuriyet on İper’s detention:

‘Despite stating that he was not a ByLock user and applying for expert examination of the mobile phone in relation to this claim, what comes to mind following his detention on the basis an information note that he used ByLock from the Anti-smuggling and Organised Crime Branch Directorate is that the ruling party protects and looks out for ByLock users among its own hangers-on but wishes to make the raising of ByLock allegations valid grounds for detention for those people it wishes to see detained. But, until such time as the Anti-smuggling and Organised Crime Branch Directorate allegation is substantiated with concrete information and documents, it is inconceivable for this to be grounds for detention. We also see data that in these terms does not count as being lawful cited as grounds for continued detention in the Cumhuriyet newspaper indictment.’