Turkish Economist Briefly Detained After Posting YouTube Video
Turkish Economist Briefly Detained After Posting YouTube Video
(Bloomberg) -- Evren Devrim Zelyut, an Istanbul-based economist who regularly uses YouTube to comment on the Turkish economy, was briefly held on Monday.
“Anti-terror police officers detained me from home at about 9:30 in the morning,” Zelyut said by phone. “I gave my testimony and then was released. Now the prosecutor will either drop the case or prepare an indictment.”
Zelyut, 46, said he was told by police that a Turkish citizen had complained about his online comments. His “Avrasya Yatirim” YouTube channel has about 100,000 subscribers.
In his latest video commentary posted Dec. 1, Zelyut says the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will face “three blows” in 2020: a slower-than-expected economic recovery, rivalry from former economy czar Ali Babacan, who’s expected to launch a political party this month, and a possible worsening of relations with the U.S.
“I will continue posting comments,” he said. “I will continue to reveal whatever wrong I see.”
To contact the reporter on this story: Taylan Bilgic in Istanbul at tbilgic2@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Onur Ant at oant@bloomberg.net, Mark Williams
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