An Istanbul court on Tuesday acquitted a popular Turkish rapper who faced up to 10 years in jail on charges of encouraging drug use, activists and lawyers said, on the first day of a trial that had sparked widespread alarm.
Ezhel, 28, whose real name is Omer Sercan Ipekcioglu, was accused of inciting drug use through social-media postings as well as song lyrics.
He was arrested late last month in Istanbul by anti-narcotics police and his case was seen by rights groups as an example of declining freedom of expression under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The judge ruled that Ezhel had not committed any crime intentionally and ordered him to be acquitted and released immediately. He was due to walk free from the prison, where he has been held the last three weeks, in the next few hours.
"We got an acquittal. We can say that justice has been done," the Media and Law Studies Association freedom of speech group, which has followed the case, quoted his lawyer Fuat Ekin as saying.
Reports said that he was acquitted within just nine minutes of the trial opening.
The Ankara-born songwriter caught public attention with the release of his debut album Muptezhel last year. His music carries the influence of stars such as Eminem and 50 Cent.
His songs have been viewed millions of times online.
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Company%20Profile
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A cheaper choice
Vanuatu: $130,000
Why on earth pick Vanuatu? Easy. The South Pacific country has no income tax, wealth tax, capital gains or inheritance tax. And in 2015, when it was hit by Cyclone Pam, it signed an agreement with the EU that gave it some serious passport power.
Cost: A minimum investment of $130,000 for a family of up to four, plus $25,000 in fees.
Criteria: Applicants must have a minimum net worth of $250,000. The process take six to eight weeks, after which the investor must travel to Vanuatu or Hong Kong to take the oath of allegiance. Citizenship and passport are normally provided on the same day.
Benefits: No tax, no restrictions on dual citizenship, no requirement to visit or reside to retain a passport. Visa-free access to 129 countries.
Company%20Profile
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Andor
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Company%20profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Veil (Object Lessons)
Rafia Zakaria
Bloomsbury Academic
HEADLINE HERE
- I would recommend writing out the text in the body
- And then copy into this box
- It can be as long as you link
- But I recommend you use the bullet point function (see red square)
- Or try to keep the word count down
- Be wary of other embeds lengthy fact boxes could crash into
- That's about it
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million