Freemuse Defending Artistic Freedom
UPDATE
2 July 2020
After a successful appeal against his prison sentence, the conviction against musician Azad Bedran has been upheld by the 8th Heavy Penal Court of Diyarbakır. According to Gazete Duvar, Bedran’s lawyer will again appeal this decision.
The artist has been sentenced to three years and nine months imprisonment in relation to his song Partizan and its music video on grounds of making “propaganda for a terrorist organisation”. This is the same charge levelled against fellow Kurdish musicians Grup Yorum and Ferhat Tunç.
On 15 January 2019, the Diyarbakır 8th High Criminal Court in Turkey sentenced musician Azad Bedran to three years and nine months in jail for “criminal elements” in the music video for his song Partizan (Partisan), reported Gazete Duvar.
The video allegedly “makes propaganda for a terrorist organisation”, according to Susma.
After the hearing, Bedran said his lawyers will appeal the sentence in a higher court.
He also thanked his supporters on social media.
