Turkish swimmer Derya Buyukuncu, one of the first two swimmers from any nation to make appearances at six Olympic Games, is in hot water over Tweets about Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.
Turkish prosecutors have issued an arrest warrant for Buyukuncu after the swimmer Tweeted about the health of the controversial Turkish president.
Erdogan and his wife announced on Saturday that they tested positive for COVID-19, saying that they had “mild symptoms” caused by the Omicron variant.
Buyukuncu is accused of violating Turkish law forbidding insulting the president, which is punishable by up to four years in jail. Specifically, in response to Erdogan’s announcement, Buyukuncu Tweeted that he was making extra pots of Semolina halva, a sweet dish that is typically served at funerals. The hashtag #helva was being used to discuss the dessert as it might pertain to Erdogan.
He is one of 8 individuals for whom arrest warrants have been issued after making what have been deemed insulting Tweets against the president’s health.
This is not the first time that arrests have been sought for social media posts about the president’s health. In November, Turkey’s cyber police was investigating 30 people who Tweeted about Erdogan using the hashtag #olmus, or “he is dead.”
Erdogan’s health has been long a topic of conversation in Turkey, since he underwent surgery on his lower intestine in 2011. He has insisted that he did not have cancer.
This law is part of a general crackdown on free speech by the Turkish president.
“It is our duty to protect the respect of my office, of the presidency,” Erdoğan has said in the past, “it has nothing to do with freedom of expression.”
Erdogan has also called for measures against any media content that is considered to be opposed to the country’s “fundamental values,” including the arrest of a journalist in January.
Buyukuncu is a popular figure in Turkey, and has appeared on reality shows there. So far at least one person, a citizen named Pınar Ö., has been placed under house arrest pending court proceedings. She says that she was not aware that the hashtag was referencing the health of the president, but instead was using it to sub-Tweet her boyfriend, with whom she is currently fighting.
Buyukuncu’s current location is unknown, according to Turkish media, though he lives in Irvine, California.
Buyukuncu, now 45, raced at the 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, and 2012 Olympic Games. Sweden’s Lars Frolander swam at those same six Games, and the two jointly became the first swimmers to do so in 2012.
He was the 2000 bronze medalist at the World Short Course Championships and has two senior European Championship medals as well. Those go along with several World Cup, Mediterannean Games, and European Junior titles.
Buyukuncu never advanced out of the prelims in his six Olympic appearances. His highest Olympic finish came in 2000, where he finished 17th in the 100 back, missing a semifinals swim by .02 seconds. He remains the Turkish Record holder in the 200 backstroke in short course meters.
Derya on Hasan Piker’s stream incoming
Boy, Erdogan is pretty thin-skinned. True leaders can take criticism.
Just waiting for someone to quote Captain Clarence Oveur from the move “Airplane” …….
Ya ever been in a Turkish prison?
I remember when he was on the cover of Swimming World for HS Swimmer of the Year. For some strange reason, I can literally remember getting the issue in the mail and walking into my college apartment. Sad to see the situation that he’s wrapped up in for speaking (tweeting?) his mind. The world is just crazy now. If anybody has a time machine to get me back to the 80’s or 90’s, please let me know.
Politics aside, this is a grown man getting butthurt about tweet. Sad.
Well, you can’t put politics aside. This is what authoritarian regimes do. Any criticism of the leader is a threat to the entire system.
Can anyone verify if Derya was in fact here in the US for high school or prep school, and at least once was named by Swimming World the male swimmer of the year? Can’t outright recall if he in fact broke the 100 back nat’l h.s. or prep school record, and whether or not he went to a public or a private/tuition-based school……I think he also had a decent college career, was it with Michigan?
Yes he swam for Salo in HS and he was male SOY. Yes he was part of the Michigan team that dominated NCAAs in 1995.
thank you!
He also was on the mission Viejo nadadores coaching staff for a short time
https://swimswam.com/mission-viejo-hires-6-time-turkish-olympian-buyukuncu-sprint-coach/
Just here to say, “Eff you, Erdogan”.
Arrest warrant incoming
Perfect post.
The one dislike is from Erdogan himself.
I guess he’ll be banned and applying for American citizenship like Enis Kanter. He could never go back
He has lived in USA for many years. He might already be an American citizen now. He is married with a couple kids.
Exactly. I think he was even at least once voted top male high school swimmer of the year by Swimming World back in the 90’s; maybe it was instead he broke some records? I cannot recall whether, if this is true and was awarded best male swimmer, if it was best for public or independent schools- if they separated categories back then.
I don’t think he has citizenship anywhere else; he was born IN Turkey to two Turkish born parents; around age 15, circa ’91, Derya and his mom moved to Irvine CA to train under Dave Salo. The Turkish national federation realized awarding a scholarship for Derya to move away (Dave Salo at Irvine) to benefit from better training and facilities. He always competed for Turkey internationally. At some point he married a women from Turkey- not a US citizen. A quick search online gives indication he never intended to, or fell into by chance an opportunity to get dual citizenship elsewhere. Of interest, the then ruling Turkish PM/President sometime in the mid to late 90’s awarded Derya with a ceremony… Read more »
Today’s Turkish president would be happy to award Derya with a ceremony too – but I don’t think Derya would like it.
He knew, he knows. He’ll have to meet up with relatives in nearby, semi-neutral countries… while he waits for Erdogan to die.
I’m more concerned with his present and near future well being, even before being given any chance to apply for asylum, defect, etc. Here are a few rather unhinged choices Erdogan has tried or attempted to make in retaliation either against what is otherwise free speech (speech & press have few freedoms; also now very difficult for foreign press to freely enter Turkey solo- as opposed foreign press accompanying foreign/diplomatic visits).
over 200 journalists were arrested and over 120 media outlets were closed.
– journalists were detained in November 2016 after a long-standing crackdown on the newspaper. Subsequently, Reporters Without Borders called Erdoğan an “enemy of press freedom” and said that he… Read more »