Omar Souleyman, star of Syrian electro-folk, arrested in Turkey for “terrorism”

He is a legendary musician. Syrian singer Omar Souleyman, who has acquired international notoriety by combining traditional Syrian music and electro, was arrested Wednesday (November 17th) by Turkish police, his agent announced to Agence France-Presse (AFP). The star of the Syrian electro-folk, who has lived in Turkey for several years, was arrested in the town of Sanliurfa, 50 km from the Syrian border.

A search notice had been issued against Omar Almasikh – his real name – and Turkish gendarmes arrested him in the province of Sanliurfa, near the Syrian border. The governorate of Sianlurfa confirmed this arrest to AFP, without further details.

The singer was taken to hospital for medical examinations and should be transferred to a gendarmerie to be heard there. His agent assured the singer, 55, would be released “Within a few hours”.

According to the pro-government daily Yeni Safak and the DHA news agency, he is accused of“To be a member of the terrorist organization PKK / YPG”. Ankara considers the People’s Protection Units (YPG), the main Kurdish militia in Syria, as an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), classified as “Terrorist” by Turkey, the European Union and the United States.

Red and white keffiyeh and black sunglasses

Souleyman, who started her career singing at weddings in Syria, appears in her music videos wearing a red and white keffiyeh and thick black sunglasses. The singer fled Syria after the outbreak of civil war in 2011 to settle in Turkey, where he notably opened a bakery.

Omar Souleyman’s hits, including Warni warni, which totals nearly 100 million views on YouTube, opened the doors to international festivals, such as Villette Sonique in 2009, the Eurockéennes de Belfort in 2010, Glastonbury in 2011, South by Southwest (SXSW), in Texas, or Pitchfork Festival in Paris, in 2013. He also performed at the Nobel Peace Prize concert in December 2013. He also collaborated with artists, such as the Icelandic singer Björk or the British musician Four Tet.

Le Monde with AFP and Reuters

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