"The prosecutor did not write the indictment"

Policy Service

The first hearing in the criminal case filed against the Republican People's Party ( CHP ) presidential candidate and suspended Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu , alleging that he obtained a university degree irregularly, was held yesterday in Silivri. İmamoğlu, who is facing a prison sentence of between 2 years and 6 months and 8 years and 9 months and a "political ban" from the Istanbul 59th Criminal Court of First Instance, appeared before the judge yesterday in the Silivri courtroom located across from the Marmara Closed Penal Institutions. Attendees included CHP Chair Özgür Özel, Dilek İmamoğlu and her children, father Hasan İmamoğlu, the CHP delegation, members of parliament, and a large number of spectators. The courtroom was also filled to capacity and included İmamoğlu's schoolmates from Istanbul University.

As İmamoğlu entered the courtroom, he was met with minutes of applause accompanied by chants of "President İmamoğlu." Following identification, when asked, "What is your educational background?", İmamoğlu responded, "Master's degree," and was once again met with a standing ovation.

As he began his defense, İmamoğlu said, "That prosecutor did not write this indictment; I know who wrote it. Today, September 12th reminds this society of the coup. I want to emphasize that we are currently in the process of a coup."

İmamoğlu reacted to the indictment being read, saying, “Nothing you’re telling me has anything to do with me,” and used the following statements in his defense: “I am the truth, what I’m telling is the truth. Both my successes and my failures are real. I’m a village child. I’m not tearing myself apart just to have a canal run through a city. He mocked me for talking about love, calling me a ‘love bug.’ I’m still a love bug. This nation has freedom, liberty in its genetics. These transition periods are nonsense. I’m so free in 12 square meters that I should burst in my Palace!”

Saying, "I will show the reason for my punishment," İmamoğlu cited the 2024 Istanbul election results. When asked, "What are your thoughts on the congress case to be heard on September 15th?", İmamoğlu said, "This is not a CHP issue, but rather a matter of the existence or absence of democracy in Türkiye." Regarding Kılıçdaroğlu, he replied, "I hope he makes the right decision for himself."

A NEW ERA IN LAWLESSNESS

The hearing also marked a first in judicial history. İmamoğlu's lawyer, Mehmet Pehlivan, connected to the hearing from Çorlu Prison via SEGBİS (Security and Information System) to present his defense. The judge claimed that this procedure was carried out in accordance with the Law on Attorneys, while Pehlivan stated: “I was brought to the hearing without even a robe on, without being allowed to meet with my client. I stand before you as a lawyer held captive. I want this to be on record. I refuse to present my defense under these circumstances because I am prevented from meeting face-to-face with my client.”

WE WILL CALL FOR ACCOUNTING

The hearing continued yesterday as our newspaper went to press. Chairman Özel made a statement during the break. Özel said: “The most shameful indictment in the history of the judiciary. It's once again in tatters. President Ekrem wasn't on trial today, he was. I wouldn't want to be the prosecutor in that courtroom presenting the indictment, which was written under instructions. We will definitely hold the one man who made you do this accountable.”

Özel responded to a question about statements made by MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli about Ahmet Özer and Ahmet Türk in his statements published this morning. "A mistake has been rectified, I find this correct," Özel said, adding, "A choice made by the People's Alliance back then to punish the Nation Alliance, called urban consensus or terrorism, has been abandoned today. A mistake has been rectified, I find this correct."

Özel commented on the Congress case: "This is an evil designed to wear down the party. We hope this evil will end. Someone is trying to tie democracy to a knot in the Supreme Election Council (YSK) and Constitutional Court decisions, as well as in the evaluation of the process by legal experts."

APPLICATION FOR TRUSTEE

The CHP also applied to the court yesterday to have the trustee in Istanbul removed after the Ankara 3rd Civil Court of First Instance rejected the CHP's lawsuit to annul the Istanbul Provincial Congress on October 8, 2023, on the merits. CHP Deputy Group Chair Murat Emir announced that they had applied to the court the day before. Emir criticized Gürsel Tekin, who accepted the trustee decision and entered the former Provincial Headquarters building with police, saying, "Someone who speaks with the mouthpiece of the palace cannot be a member of the Republican People's Party." Emir said, “Tayyip Erdoğan always says, ‘This issue is between CHP members,’ to avoid touching them. That trustee says the same thing. We know who you are friends with, we know whose grievance you are working for, we know whose man you are.”

Trustee Gürsel Tekin, however, continued to attend the CHP's old provincial headquarters in Sarıyer, which had been renamed the "General Presidential Office." Tekin, who refused to go to the Bahçelievler office the party designated as its new provincial headquarters, claimed he "needed to do his job." Regarding the lawsuit and the absolute nullity debate surrounding the CHP convention, trustee Tekin said, "We are not preoccupied with the September 15th coup. We are aware of the obstacles we face. We are trying to carry out our work with patience and determination."

KILIÇDAROĞLU IS SILENT AGAIN

With two days remaining until September 15th, attention has turned not only to trustee Tekin but also to former CHP Chairman Kılıçdaroğlu. Speaking on the TV 100 program, CHP Party Assembly Member Ali Haydar Fırat stated that Kılıçdaroğlu had told him on September 15th that he would not make any statement regarding the process within the CHP until he saw the outcome of the case. The day before, Özel had spoken to Ruşen Çakır of Medyascope, urging Kılıçdaroğlu, "It would be very valuable if he declared that he is the most important guarantee against the CHP being redesigned by the judiciary." Once again, Kılıçdaroğlu's response to the call for democracy was silence.

WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY?

Yesterday, a series of further developments unfolded both in the courtroom and in the political arena. The developments are listed below:

A petition of objection regarding the detention of Şişli Mayor Resul Emrah Şahan, which has been ongoing since March 23, was submitted to the Istanbul 8th Criminal Court of Peace. The petition included a scientific opinion prepared by Prof. Dr. Bahri Öztürk, Prof. Dr. Adem Sözüer, and Prof. Dr. İzzet Özgenç. The petition emphasized that the arrest warrant was unlawful under both national law and international standards.

Following İmamoğlu's detention, a decision was made to release seven young people, who were arrested on charges of "insulting the President" at the 100th day rally held in Saraçhane, with an international travel ban.

Fourteen of the 21 people detained in the fifth wave of the bribery investigation into the Antalya Metropolitan Municipality have been referred to court. The operation was conducted on September 10th as part of the investigation launched by the Antalya Chief Public Prosecutor's Office into accusations of "taking and giving bribes" and "tender rigging" against the Antalya Metropolitan Municipality.

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117 ACADEMICS GAVE SUPPORT

Former University Faculty Members Association President Prof. Dr. Tahsin Yeşildere and political scientist Prof. Dr. Nuray Mert penned a text titled "Democracy is our honor." 117 academics and writers signed the text, declaring, "We support the CHP and the Özgür Özel administration in their struggle for democracy and honor." The text, which included the phrases, "We cannot live honorable lives without defending our rights and freedoms. Defending democracy is defending our honor," also stated, "The final and greatest loss for a human being is the loss of honor."