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Tolga Akis, founder and manager of the pop group known publicly as Manifest, has been arrested on a charge of facilitating the publication of obscene content, according to the referral document from the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.
He had been detained as part of a broader investigation into allegations of obscenity, drug use and laundering assets derived from crime.
Akis completed processing at a police station, underwent a medical check and was brought to the Istanbul Courthouse.
After giving his statement to prosecutors, he was referred to the criminal court of peace with a request for his arrest on the obscenity-facilitation charge. The court granted the request.
The referral document identified Akis as the founder and producer of Manifest, noting he had organized numerous concerts over the years.
Prosecutors argued that obscenity, in a criminal law context, cannot be judged by nudity or subjective standards of morality alone but must be assessed based on the content as a whole and the audience it reaches, particularly its potential effect on the psychological, moral and social development of children.
Citing Article 226/2 of the Turkish Penal Code, the document stated that the law penalizes not only the creation of obscene material but also its dissemination to the public, treating the two as separate offenses.
It added that the legal interest being protected extends beyond individual discomfort, aiming instead to safeguard people, especially children, whose capacity to protect themselves and interpret what they see is still developing.
According to the document, the posts in question were viewed by large numbers of people and reached wide audiences.
Prosecutors argued the content could direct members of society toward behavior encouraging lesbian, gay, bisexual, transvestite or transsexual identities, stating this was inconsistent with the values protected under Article 41 of the Turkish Constitution, which addresses the protection of the family and children's rights.
The document stated that constitutional provisions place a positive obligation on the state to take measures protecting children from all forms of abuse and violence.
It said children and young people could access the group's activities and content directly, without any filtering mechanism, and that Akis, as the group's producer, was responsible for presenting and legitimizing that content to the public through media capable of reaching large audiences.
Citing the nature of the alleged offense, the available evidence and the maximum penalty prescribed under law, prosecutors requested Akis's arrest, a request the court granted.
Akis had originally been detained as part of a broader investigation into allegations of obscenity, drug use and laundering assets derived from criminal activity.
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