Turkish opposition journalist and political activist Arif Kocabayık was detained while trying to illegally leave Turkey and enter Bulgaria. He was found last night at the Kapıkule border checkpoint during a check of a truck, the Turkish state television TRT Haber reported, quoted by BTA.
YouTuber Arif Kocabayık, who was banned from leaving Turkey, was caught hiding under a truck trailer while trying to cross the border with Bulgaria. The truck arrived at the Kapıkule customs area for exit to Bulgaria at around 15:11 on August 31, 2026. When scanning the vehicle, border authorities found that two people were hiding under the truck. The checks identified the individuals in question as Turkish citizen Arif Kocabiyik and Iranian citizen Shayan Peyman Samadi.
During the investigation, it was determined that Arif Kocabiyik has a travel ban imposed by the 35th Criminal Court of First Instance in Antalya under Article 299/1 of the Turkish Penal Code, which refers to the crime of “insulting the President“.
Arif Kocabiyik and the truck driver Muhterem Altıntaş were detained. The suspects, whose detention procedures have been completed, were brought to the courthouse by customs teams.
The case was handed over to the Edirne Prosecutor's Office. The journalist and the truck driver were detained, and the Iranian citizen was handed over to the Regional Directorate of Migration Management.