Turkish Fashion Designer Attacked by Baggage Handlers at Istanbul Airport

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On Tuesday, fashion designer Barbaros Sansal was arrested in Turkey on charges of inciting hatred on social media, just one day after he was attacked by baggage handlers at Istanbul Ataturk Airport.

According to Reuters.com, Sansal arrived at Ataturk Airport Monday and was beaten up by airport workers as police attempted to transport him from his plane following his expulsion from northern Cyprus.

Sansal was expelled from northern Cyprus after he posted a video telling people to continue celebrating the New Year "while there is so much filthiness, vileness and impoverishment" in the country.

The video was released a short time after a gunman killed 39 people at an Istanbul nightclub.

In recent months, Sansal has been adamant about his distrust of the ruling Justice and Development party in Turkey, and the video which got him expelled criticized the imprisonment of journalists, as well as perceived corruption in the government.

Sansal’s comments about Turkey’s persecution of journalists is well documented, as the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists revealed at least 81 journalists are currently imprisoned and more than 130 media outlets have been closed since a failed coup attempt in July 2016.

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