Prosecutors Order Detention of Ex-Erdoğan Adviser Over Anti-Alawite Hate Speech

Istanbul prosecutors instructed the Anatolian Chief Public Prosecutor's Office to detain Kemal Öztürk — a former press adviser to Erdoğan and ex-director general of the state Anadolu news agency — after he said on an August 27 NTV broadcast that Arab Alawites (Nusayris) in Syria's Idlib, Afrin and Aleppo countryside 'would deserve it if every last one of them were slaughtered.' Öztürk was ordered to appear for questioning via the SEGBİS video system on September 1. The Turkey Alevi Federation and the European Confederation of Alevi Unions condemned the remarks as dehumanizing hate speech that risked legitimizing violence against the community; the pro-Kurdish DEM Party also called for a criminal investigation. Öztürk defended himself, saying he was describing emotions people might feel after events in Syria and denied calling for a massacre.