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Tolga Akis, the founder and manager of the pop group publicly known as Manifest, has been arrested as part of an investigation into charges of obscenity, drug use and laundering assets derived from crime.
Akis was initially detained by Istanbul's Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and completed processing at a police station before undergoing a medical check and being 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 charge of facilitating the publication of obscene content. The court subsequently ruled in favor of his arrest.
In its referral document, the prosecutor's office described Akis as the founder and producer of Manifest, noting that he had organized numerous concerts over the years.
The document argued that obscenity, within the context of criminal law, cannot be judged solely by nudity or a subjective sense of morality, but must instead be assessed based on the content as a whole and the audience it reaches, particularly given its potential effect on the psychological, moral and social development of children.
Citing Article 226/2 of the Turkish Penal Code, prosecutors said the law punishes not only the creation of obscene content but also its dissemination to the public, treating the two as separate offenses.
The document stated that the legal interest being protected extends beyond individual discomfort or personal taste, aiming instead to safeguard people, especially children, whose ability to protect themselves and interpret what they see is still developing.
According to the referral 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 LGBT identities, describing this as 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 further stated that the Constitution places a positive obligation on the state to protect children from abuse and violence, adding that children and young people were able to access the group's content directly and without any filtering mechanism.
Prosecutors said Akis, as the group's producer, was responsible for presenting and legitimizing this 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 that Akis be arrested, a request the court granted.
He had originally been detained as part of a broader investigation into allegations of obscenity, drug use and the laundering of assets derived from criminal activity.
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