TRT series ‘Mehmed: Fetihler Sultanı’ faces lawsuit over historical claims

Mahmut Yakup, a Uyghur living in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, has initiated legal action against the producers and writers of the TRT series ‘Mehmed: Fetihler Sultanı’. Following a previous warning that went unaddressed, Yakup filed a criminal complaint with the Ankara West Chief Public Prosecutor's Office against producer Eyüp Gökhan Özekin and screenwriter Ozan Bodur. Additionally, a lawsuit for 1 million TL in non-pecuniary damages has been filed against the TRT General Directorate.

The legal dispute centers on the 66th episode of the series, specifically regarding historical inaccuracies and perceived insults toward the Chinese people. The complaint highlights the use of the phrase ‘infidel China’ and claims the show depicts China as a place where ‘men will be enslaved and women made concubines,’ creating an atmosphere of fear. Yakup requests an investigation into whether these depictions constitute crimes of inciting hatred or contempt against a group based on religion, race, or region. The complaint also questions the historical validity of scenes involving the Yarkand Khanate and the character Ali Şir Nevai.