According to a report by the Stockholm Center for Freedom, citing the Mezopotamya news agency, the request was made in relation to a case in which Tunc is being tried for “insulting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan” based on his social media posts in 2018.

Tunç, who is living in exile in Germany, did not attend his trial at the Buyukcekmece 14th Criminal Court of First Instance.

The judge shared the German prosecutor office’s response during the hearing.

The Kurdish singer was also indicted by the Buyukcekmece Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office in 2016 for allegedly insulting former Turkish prime minister Binali Yildirim on Twitter.

German prosecutors had previously denied a request for judicial assistance from a Turkish court in another case involving Tunc on the grounds that freedom of expression is a fundamental right according to the German constitution.

In July 2021 Tunc said he was repeatedly threatened on social media and was warned by the Hessen state police against a possible attack.

A pro-government social media account named “Jitemkurt” on July 11, 2021 published a list of journalists and activists living in Europe and North America whom they planned to assassinate. The account published the names of 21 individuals including Tunc and threatened to kill them.

Thousands of people in Turkey are under investigation, and most of them are under the threat of imprisonment over alleged insults of President Erdogan.

Insulting the president is a crime in Turkey, according to the controversial Article 299 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK). Whoever insults the president can face up to four years in prison, a sentence that can be increased if the crime was committed through the mass media.

The insult cases generally stem from social media posts shared by Erdogan opponents. The Turkish police and judiciary perceive even the most minor criticism of the president or his government as an insult.

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