Dissident Turkish actor dismissed from City Theater

Dissident Turkish actor Levent Üzümcü, who has been sent to the High Disciplinary Court of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, was dismissed from the Istanbul City Theater over statements critical of the Justice and Development Party (AKP). 

Speaking about the decision, Üzümcü said, "I am grateful because I have courage to stand against the mistakes as it is confirmed by this decision."

The official reasons for the investigation are a speech Üzümcü gave at a Socialist International event, the opinions he has shared on his social media accounts and his statements to the press. 

In November 2013, a few months after the Gezi protests of June 2013, Üzümcü gave a speech at a Socialist International meeting held in Istanbul, criticizing the ruling AKP. 

 "Today, our people are encouraged to become informants. It is being normalized to spy on and report people for leading lives that are deemed immoral by certain social standards," he said. 

In addition, Üzümcü clarified he was sent to the disciplinary court of the municipality and not that of the theater due to a controversial amendment to theater regulations. He defined the motion as against the law. "Friends, the attempt to dispel me from the City Theater is completely lawless (what else could be expected of them?) Don't lose your sleep over it," he tweeted. 

'Sorry to leave where I belong'

Announcing the news of his dismissal on his Twitter account, the actor said, "I am sorry, because the City Theater does not belong to past or current governments but it belongs to the history of our common story as the people of Turkey. I am very sorry that I am forced to leave where I belong. I am worried that this institution is the toy of the minds that are light...