Overview

• Lvbel C5, one of Turkey’s most streamed musicians, has been detained on charges of glorifying drugs in his lyrics.
• The rapper could face a prison sentence of five to ten years if convicted, according to Turkish authorities.
• This arrest highlights the Erdogan government’s intensified enforcement of Islamic-conservative cultural policies, which critics say suppress artistic freedom.
• Under these policies, music and film festivals have been banned, and censorship has increased, prompting many artists to emigrate.
• Lvbel C5’s detention is seen as part of a broader pattern of targeting high-profile cultural figures to stifle dissent and control creative expression.