Turkey: well-known Syrian singer arrested for “terrorism”

The well-known Syrian musician Omar Souleyman was arrested in Turkey on charges of “belonging to a terrorist organization”. This was announced by the Anadolu agency while according to local media the artist is accused of being a member of the PKK, the Kurdish armed party for 40 years in conflict with Ankara. Omar Souleyman was captured in a raid by counter-terrorism teams in Urfa, in the Kurdish-majority south of Turkey, some fifty kilometers from the Syrian border. Born in northern Syria, the artist – whose real name is Omar Almasikh – began his musical career in the 1990s as a part time singer at wedding parties but in the past decade has achieved considerable international success with his style that mixes traditional sounds of the Middle East and electronic music. The fame led him to play in major European and American festivals and to collaborate with well-known artists such as Icelandic singer Bjork. In 2011, after the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, Omar Souleyman moved to Turkey where he continued his successful career by often performing in popular concerts in Istanbul.