Father of Cypriot child killed in earthquake detained in Turkey (updated)

The father of one of the Cypriot children killed during February’s earthquakes was detained on arrival in Turkey on Tuesday after a case was filed against him for post he had made on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

Enver Karakaya, whose daughter Selin was killed when the Isias hotel in Adiyaman collapsed, had travelled to Turkey on Tuesday morning alongside other parents of those killed and a number of Turkish Cypriot dignitaries.

Police detained him at passport control at Gaziantep airport and served him with court papers after a complaint had been made against him by a resident of the Black Sea province of Sakarya.

Eyebrows were initially raised over the potential nature of the case filed, given the fact that Karakaya’s social media had been intensely active in the 11 months since his daughter’s death.

However, Cyprus Turkish Bar Association chairman Hasan Esendagli, who travelled to Adiyaman with the Turkish Cypriot contingent, explained that the offending tweet was in fact about football.

“Enver sent a slightly angry tweet after a Galatasaray match in 2016. A footballer took it upon himself to complain … We resolved the statement by giving a statement at the Adiyaman courthouse. We have moved on from this issue, we are concentrating on our own case now,” he said.