Istanbul’s Prosecutor’s Office launched an ex officio investigation into CHP leader Ozgür Özel hours after a campaign rally in Ümraniye, citing alleged “insulting the President” and “insulting a public official in the exercise of duty.” Prosecutors say Özel told President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to “control your people… call off your dogs,” remarks they argue also targeted judges handling cases linked to the so-called “İmamoğlu benefit network.” The office said inquiries are “continuing with determination and care.”
Özel’s response
Özel accused the government of persecuting opponents and covering up scandals, alleging that Istanbul’s chief prosecutor Akın Gürlek was “illegally appointed” while drawing a salary from a foreign state company. “Instead of investigating these scandals, you open cases against us… People are tired of conflict and want peace,” he wrote, adding: “I won’t repeat myself so as not to insult animals, clean up your trash; it helps neither you nor the country.”
Justice ministry reaction
Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç said Özel’s “insults” against the president and “targeting of judges” would not go unpunished. He called Özel’s stance “low, indecent and contrary to political ethics and national values,” adding that politics is service, not a platform for attacks or hate speech, and that “no one is above the law.”
Press probes widen
In a separate move, prosecutors ordered statements from six prominent journalists; Soner Yalçın, Ruşen Çakır, Yavuz Oğhan, Şaban Sevinç, Aslı Aydıntaşbaş and Batuhan Çolak, in an investigation tied to alleged corruption around Istanbul’s municipality. They face accusations of “spreading false information” and “aiding a criminal organisation.” According to Turkish media, police visited some homes around 6 a.m.; Sevinç and Oğhan were taken in, while Yalçın and Çolak were later brought to the same unit.
CHP officials denounced the moves as attempts to muzzle independent reporting. Deputy chair Burhanettin Bulut asked why police appeared at dawn and why phones were seized, calling it a “de facto arrest to intimidate the press.” MP Mahmut Tanal said journalists must not be prosecuted for doing their jobs, while vice-chair Ulaş Karasu insisted “no one can stop the truth.” Gökhan Zeybek spoke of a “systematic effort to control information and curb freedom of expression.”
Source: CNA