Actress Melisa Sözen has been questioned by authorities over her portrayal of a character linked to the Syrian Kurdish Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) in the French TV series Le Bureau des Légendes. Sözen played the role during the show's third season, which aired in 2017.
The İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office yesterday summoned Sözen upon her return to Turkey as part of an investigation for "terrorist propaganda." According to reports in the Turkish media, Sözen told authorities, "I didn’t know the outfit I wore symbolized such an organization. I played the role of a spy in the series, which was not broadcast in Turkey. I love my country and my nation."
The prosecutor's office clarified that Sözen was not detained during the questioning.
The investigation comes after a social media campaign targeting Sözen over her role. Turkey views the YPJ as a "terrorist organization" linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militant group.
Online harassment
In a statement on her social media account, Sözen firmly denied the accusations, stating there was no glorification of any organization in the series. "This series is not a secret project. It’s one of the most well-known crime dramas in France," she said.
Addressing the controversy, Sözen published a series of posts on social media:
"To be clear:
"This series isn’t some hidden project; it’s a highly popular French crime series that debuted in 2015.
"The season I acted in aired in 2017. I portrayed a double agent fighting ISIS.
"The series doesn’t praise any terrorist organization. If it did, you would have heard about it in the past seven years."
Sözen also commented on the harassment she faced online, writing, "I’ve been in the acting profession for 25 years, and sadly, I've become accustomed to malicious criticism, false accusations, and slander. But not everyone has the resilience to withstand this kind of online bullying."
She urged her followers to avoid contributing to the spread of misinformation and "cancel culture," adding, "We must learn to use credible sources and think critically. Let this incident be a lesson for us all."
The series
Created by Eric Rochant, Le Bureau des Légendes aired from 2015 to 2020 and is regarded as one of France’s most prominent espionage dramas. The series focuses on France’s external intelligence agency, DGSE, and its covert operations.
The plot revolves around a field agent named Malotru (Guillaume Debailly), who struggles to adjust to life in Paris after years undercover in the Middle East. The show delves into the challenges faced by operatives who adopt false identities to infiltrate hostile environments.
Sözen’s character infiltrates the YPJ, a militia fighting ISIS, while secretly working for French intelligence as a double agent.
The series, praised for its realism, achieved widespread popularity and was compared to shows like Homeland and The Night Manager. It reached international audiences through streaming platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime.
In a previous interview, Sözen recounted how she was cast in the series despite her limited French proficiency. "In 2016, I was approached for Le Bureau des Légendes, one of the most popular French productions at the time. I barely spoke French, but the director liked my performance at the audition and said, ‘We’ll make it work.’ I then began intensive French, firearms, and combat training to prepare for the role. It was a challenging yet rewarding experience."
Sözen, who began her acting career at a young age, has appeared in numerous successful Turkish films and TV series. Her performance in Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s Palme d’Or-winning film Winter Sleep (2014) earned her international acclaim.
In 2015, she received Best Actress awards from both the Theatre Critics Association and the Turkish Film Critics Association for her work in Winter Sleep and the play Kalp Düğümü. Sözen later expanded her career internationally with roles in the French series Le Bureau des Légendes and the film Damien Veux Changer Le Monde. (EMK/VK)
