// Workers AI · dad joke modeWho did Fuat Avni take to the dance? His avi date.
Fuat Avni | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Microblogger |
| Years active | 2014–2016 |
| Known for | Claims and predictions about Turkish politics on Twitter |
Fuat Avni was an anonymous Twitter phenomenon, mostly known for tweets and leaks concerning the Justice and Development Party.[1] The account tweeted its first tweet on in 2014, as sources differ about the exact date, some say 18 April while other claim 18 February,[2] and its last tweet on 20 July 2016, shortly after the failed coup attempt of 15 July 2016.[2] At its peak the account had been followed by as many as 3 million people, A March 2021 snapshot recorded 2.0 million followers on the account's the current handle.[3]
Credibility and reception
[edit]Fuat Avni became one of the most closely watched accounts in Turkish politics, with the account's tips frequently preceding real government raids and personnel changes.[4] Greg Barton, an expert on Turkish politics at Monash University, told VICE News that Fuat Avni's consistent credibility has established him as a reliable source of information.[4] The account's most explosive claim, made after the 15 July 2016 coup attempt, alleged that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had plotted terrorist style attacks on Turkish civilians to frame his opponents.[4]
Claims on its identity
[edit]As of May 2016, the identity of the account's operator or operators was unknown, though the Turkish government and various commentators speculated about several possibilities. Different people were accused of or claimed to be behind the account though none of these claims were proven at the time.[5][6]
Turkish journalist and former police officer, Emre Uslu was one such figure reputedly named in press reports, President Erdoğan himself publicly challenged the account in February 2015, telling the its operator "If you have the courage, don't use an alias," after a court had ordered Fuat Avni's Twitter and Facebook accounts blocked.[7] Uslu rejected the claim that he was Fuat Avni.[7]
Legal action and arrests
[edit]Due to legal actions, the account name changed twice moving between @fuatavni, @fuatavnifuat and @fuatavni_f.[8] In January 2015, Twitter complied with a Turkish court order, to block the account's tweets within the country, after a series of leaks, including tip-offs police raids on media outlets.[9]
On 20 July 2016, computer engineer Akif Mustafa Koçyiğit was arrested in İstanbul along with other 9 engineers as part of the 2016 purges following the coup d'état attempt. They were charged with providing information to Fuat Avni.[10] On 24 July, Muhammed Sait Kuloğlu and Yetkin Yıldız were also arrested.[11]
Trial and convictions
[edit]On 18 January 2021, the Ankara 22nd High Criminal Court sentenced Mustafa Koçyiğit, a former Prime Ministry official and Bülent Günay, a former intelligence official, to life imprisonment plus an additional 25 years each, after finding them guilty of "violating the constitutional order" and of "disclosing state secrets and spying" in connection with operating the Fuat Avni account.[12] Seven further defendants received sentences ranging from 13-16 years and eight others received sentences of 7 to 10 years.[12] Turkish authorities alleged the account had been set up by the Gülen movement, which the government refers to as the Fethullah Terrorist Organisation (FETÖ).[12]
Contents of its claims
[edit]It claimed to provide information from undisclosed government talks concerning the 2013 corruption scandal, irregularities during elections, secret operations with the government and Cemaat. The account generally referred to Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as "BB" (Turkish for PM), "Tiran" (tyrant), "Başçalan" (a pun on PM, meaning Prime Thief), "Yezid" (Yazid I, the second Umayyad Caliph, regarded by some scholars as a tyrant), "Faşist" (fascist) or Narsist (narcissist). They used Bediüzzaman's iconic "Korkma, titre" phrase ("Don't be afraid, shiver") occasionally.
Important claims
[edit]Some of their claims had been realized a few days or week later.
| Claim date | Claims | Tweet | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 September 2015 | Seizing of Kaynak Holding | [13] | On 18 November 2015 Kaynak Holding was seized. |
| 28 August 2015 | Seizing of İpek Holding and operations against Doğan Holding | [14] | On 27–28 October 2015 Koza İpek Holding was seized. |
| 24 July 2015 | Operations on education facilities claimed to have close ties with the Gülen movement | [8] | Occurred. |
| 19 April 2016 | Replacing Davutoğlu with Yıldırım as Prime Minister | [15] | On 5 May 2016, PM Davutoğlu announced his retirement as Prime Minister. Yıldırım became PM on 24 May 2016. |
| 17 July 2016 | 2016 coup d'état is a self-coup planned by Erdoğan | [16] | The claim was made after the failed coup. |
Accounts
[edit]Due to legal actions, the account name has changed twice.[17]
| Date | Account |
|---|---|
| 18 February 2014 – 5 August 2014 (active) | @fuatavni |
| 5 August 2014 – 21 January 2015 | @fuatavnifuat |
| 21 January 2015–today (active) | @fuatavni_f |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ İlk tweetinin ekran görüntüsü
- 1 2 Minute, Turkish (2021-01-18). "2 defendants get life sentences for operating whistleblower Fuat Avni account". Turkish Minute. Retrieved 2026-09-24.
- ↑ "Fuat Avni". Twitter. Retrieved 2021-03-19.
- 1 2 3 Rann, Max (2015-01-17). "A Mysterious Twitter Whistleblower Is Trying to Take Down the President of Turkey". VICE. Retrieved 2026-09-24.
- ↑ Bülent Arınç'a sordu: @fuatavni siz misiniz? Archived June 1, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ MİT'in 'Fuat Avni' dediği Emre Uslu'dan salvolar
- 1 2 "Erdoğan challenges Turkey's most wanted whistleblower - Türkiye News". Hürriyet Daily News. 2015-02-22. Retrieved 2026-09-24.
- 1 2 fuatavni [@fuatavni_f] (24 July 2015). "3. Yapılan toplantıda tüm illerde Cemaat'in dershane ve okullarına operasyon yapılmasına karar verildi" [3. At the meeting, it was decided to carry out an operation on the private teaching institutions and schools of the Community in all provinces.] (Tweet) (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 11 August 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2022 – via Twitter.
- ↑ "Turkey proposes tighter internet law, pursues Twitter critic". Al Arabiya English. 2015-01-22. Retrieved 2026-09-24.
- ↑ "Başbakanlık'ta 'Fuat Avni' operasyonu" (in Turkish). CNN Türk. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
- ↑ "Fuat Avni soruşturmasında 2 kişi tutuklandı" (in Turkish). CNN Türk. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
- 1 2 3 English, Duvar (2021-01-19). "Turkish court sentences two people to life in prison for administering whistleblower Fuat Avni account" (in Turkish). Duvar. Retrieved 2026-09-24.
- ↑ fuatavni [@fuatavni_f] (8 September 2015). "6. Yüzlerce polisle, Kaynak Holding'e baskın yapıp yaygara koparılacak. Hazırlık tamamlandı" [6. Hundreds of police will raid Kaynak Holding and make a fuss. Preparation is complete.] (Tweet) (in Turkish). Retrieved 5 December 2022 – via Twitter.
- ↑ fuatavni [@fuatavni_f] (28 August 2015). "12. Medya ayağındaysa Aydın Doğan ve Akın İpek'e operasyonun eli kulağında. Mal varlıklarına el koymayı planlıyorlar" [12. If the media is on its feet, the operation is imminent for Aydın Doğan and Akın İpek. They plan to confiscate their assets.] (Tweet) (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 9 September 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2022 – via Twitter.
- ↑ fuatavni [@fuatavni_f] (19 April 2016). "2. Soylu, Berat, Abdulhamit Gül, Mustafa Muş, Bozdağ, Ağbal, Binali'nin paralel hükümetinde, Davutoğlu'nu devirme çalışmaları yürütüyorlar" [2. Soylu, Berat, Abdulhamit Gül, Mustafa Muş, Bozdağ, Ağbal are working to overthrow Davutoğlu in the parallel government of Binali.] (Tweet) (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 29 October 2017. Retrieved 5 December 2022 – via Twitter.
- ↑ fuatavni [@fuatavni_f] (17 July 2016). "1. Narsist'in başkanlık uğruna herşeyi yapabileceğini defaatle yazdım. Derinlerle anlaşıp naylon darbe yaptırdı" [1. I have repeatedly written that a narcissist will do anything for the sake of the presidency. He agreed with the deeps and had a nylon blow.] (Tweet) (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 18 May 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2022 – via Twitter.
- ↑ Fuat Avni, Emre Uslu mu? Archived 2015-09-25 at the Wayback Machine
