SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Syrian Kurdish musician Omar Souleyman was released from custody in Turkey on Friday, Reuters reported, two days after he was detained for alleged links to the People’s Protection Units (YPG).
Reuters cited a local security source as saying that Omar Almasikh – the singer’s real name – was allowed to walk free by a local court in Turkey’s Syrian border province of Sanliurfa after giving a statement to security forces.
The musician was accused of being a member of the YPG, which Ankara considers a “terrorist” organization and an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has led an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984.
His manager denied the allegations that he belongs to any militant group, Reuters reported.
After beginning his career performing at weddings and other events in northern Syria, Omar Souleyman’s upbeat electronic music won him international fame in recent years.
He has released several albums and collaborated with musicians such as Bjork and Four Tet, as well as playing at Britain’s Glastonbury Festival and a 2013 concert for the Nobel Peace Prize award.
He has lived in Sanliurfa for about a decade after leaving Syria, like some 3.6 million Syrian refugees in Turkey who fled the 10-year war. Omar Souleyman has said his lively music that blends electronic and folk music is influenced by elements of Arabic, Kurdish and other cultures in the region.
