Turkish national Taner Tolga Tarlacı, known for his participation in the reality TV show Survivor, has appeared in a video filmed inside Cyprus Central Prisons, appealing to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk to intervene so that he can, as he claims, prove his innocence.
The videos were reportedly filmed inside Wing 10 of the Central Prisons, a high-security area where Tarlacı is serving a prison sentence for rape, deprivation of liberty for the purpose of sexual abuse and threats of violence against a 35-year-old woman.
The offences were committed in April 2022 in Paralimni. He was sentenced in 2023 by the Permanent Criminal Court sitting in Famagusta.
Videos posted in August
The case has caused concern at Central Prisons after the videos were uploaded to the popular platform on 14 and 15 August 2026.
The footage shows Tarlacı speaking directly to the camera and making appeals to the three high-profile figures.
The case has also attracted attention in the Turkish and Turkish Cypriot media. Through the videos, the prisoner alleges that he has been subjected to racist treatment by the Cypriot justice system and claims that he is being held in poor conditions.
Questions over access to devices
The case has also raised serious questions about telecommunications security and controls inside Central Prisons.
Tarlacı claims that, in addition to his own mobile phone, he has access to devices belonging to fellow inmates. He alleges that he uses these devices to post on social media and communicate with people outside the correctional facility.
The circumstances surrounding the recording and publication of the video material have raised questions over how inmates are able to access mobile devices and communicate externally from a high-security prison wing.
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