Writer Sevda Noyan, who sparked outrage after saying she had a list of anti-government and pro-coup neighbors that she would kill in the event of a new coup attempt in Turkey, was given police protection, her court testimony has revealed.
Noyan faces six years’ imprisonment for “making threats to incite fear and panic among the public.”
She was referring to the controversial military coup attempt on the night of July 15, 2016 which, according to many, was a false flag aimed at entrenching the authoritarian rule of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan by rooting out dissidents and eliminating powerful actors such as the military in his desire for absolute power.
According to Turkish media, Noyan said she made her remarks jokingly. “When I mentioned my neighbors, the host would normally be expected to ask a follow-up question,” she said. “I suffer from dyslexia. So my comment was left incomplete due to the disconnect between my ideas and expressions after the host didn’t ask further questions.”
Noyan made the controversial remarks, which were also approved of by the program’s host, journalist Esra Elönü, on the pro-government Ülke TV on May 3, 2020.
“My family can take [kill] approximately 50 people. We are equipped very well in this respect, both materially and spiritually. We stand by our leader [Erdoğan], and let me say, we won’t allow him to be taken down. Those [aiming for a coup] should watch out. There are three to five such people in our apartment complex. My list is ready,” she had said.
When her remarks attracted outrage on social media, Noyan had tweeted that she was not afraid and stood by her remarks.
“My leader is Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. I am with him till the very end,” she had said.
Noyan said she received congratulatory calls after the program and was only targeted after an operation that originated from abroad started on social media. “The police provided protection to me after this. … I was seriously victimized,” she said. “I didn’t say those words to incite fear or panic among the public.”
The Turkish government accuses the Gülen movement, a faith based group inspired by Muslim cleric Fethullah Gülen, of orchestrating the abortive putsch. Gülen and the movement strongly deny any involvement.
Source: Stockholm Center for Freedom (SCF)
