Ankara Provincial Governate slaps indefinite ban on “Just a Dictator” play

Actor Barış Atay, reacting to the ban order, commented on his personal Twitter account, highlighting Ankara Provincial Governate, “You banned it but that ban came to naught. You have so little idea what you are doing or why that you seemingly imagined I would put on this year the performance I staged last year and banned it. You cunning ones, you mad detectives.”
 
 
Ankara Provincial Governate has slapped an indefinite ban on the play “Just a Dictator” written by Onur Orhan, directed by Caner Erdem and staged by Barış Atay.
 
The Provincial Governate cited “maintaining peace and security” as the reason for the ban.
 
Ankara Provincial Governate’s statement on the ban reads as follows:
 
“Information has been obtained from various social, written and visual media outlets concerning the existence of posts indicating that the one-person play named “Just a Dictator” will be staged by Barış Atay on 28.01.2018 at the Hacı Bektaş Veli Anatolian Culture Foundation Ali Doğan Stage in Çankaya sub-province.
 
When it is borne in mind that, through the said posts, a section of society having different traits in terms of social class, race, religion, sect or region will be openly incited to hatred and enmity against another section, and a clear and imminent threat to public security may arise for this reason, and also public order, crime prevention, general health and general morality and the protection of others’ rights and freedoms may be placed in danger, it has been concluded that reaction may be displayed against the group and individuals who are to take part in the theatre organisation named “Just a Dictator” by certain circles due to various social sensitivities and this may give rise to provocations.
 
For such reasons, actions and events such as plays, panels, interviews, films, cinevision and exhibitions to be held in auditoriums at various places in our province and organised by the theatre organisation named “Just a Dictator”, the individual named Barış Atay and various bodies, entities and civil society organisations have been banned indefinitely by Ankara Provincial Governate for the purpose of maintaining peace and security, personal inviolability, security of possession and public wellbeing within our province’s borders in accordance with Article 11/c of the Provincial Administration Law number 5442 and in line with the provisions of Article 17 of the Law on Meetings and Protest Marches number 2911 and Articles 11/f-h of the State of Emergency Law number 2935. The public is respectfully informed.”
 
REACTION FROM BARIŞ ATAY TO THE BAN
 
Following the ban order, Atay posted the following on his personal Twitter account, highlighting Ankara Provincial Governate:
 
“You banned it but that ban came to naught. You have so little idea what you are doing or why that you seemingly imagined I would put on this year the performance I staged last year and banned it. You cunning ones, you mad detectives. Please don’t take it as an act of spite but I played both matinee and evening that day :) That is, last year. 28 January 2017 :).”
 
With permission denied for the play “Just a Dictator” to be performed in Hopa, it has also been banned at all theatres in Kadıköy.