Rapper Murda sentenced to four years in prison in Turkey over cannabis lyrics

Dutch-Turkish rapper Murda was sentenced in Turkey to a prison sentence of four years and two months prison for his song lyrics that encourage the use of cannabis, his manager informed ANP on Tuesday. The rapper will appeal the sentence.

"Unfortunately, I have received bad news," Murda, aka Önder Doğan, said in a statement. The rapper did not fly to Turkey for the case because he is recording an album in the Netherlands.

Murda was arrested at an Istanbul airport last year. The rapper was briefly detained due to an investigation into his music lyrics which promote the use of cannabis. The prosecution service in Turkey had recommended a sentence of five to ten years in prison.

The music in question was produced a long time ago, the rapper said. “The songs that were released reached millions of people. I played these songs in front of my audience at concerts, and my fans sang along to all the words. We laughed and danced together to all these songs. They are songs that are also loved by people who do not speak Turkish. People started singing and rapping in Turkish after listening to my music."

The case put the rapper's music in a negative light, Doğan said. He does not understand why he has been convicted. "The judge thinks that, because of these songs, my daughter does not deserve to see her father for four years and two months. The same goes for my family. I will never understand this and will never agree. Very sad."