Cem Aydın, chair of the Youth Branch of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), was sentenced to 1 year, 5 months and 15 days in prison on a charge of “insult” over a video post about Akın Gürlek, the former Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor who was appointed justice minister the previous night. The court acquitted him of the charge of “targeting individuals who have taken part in counterterrorism.”
The verdict was delivered in the trial of Aydın over a video he shared concerning Gürlek. The Istanbul 14th High Criminal Court handed down the prison sentence for “insult,” while ruling for acquittal on the accusation of “targeting individuals who have taken part in the fight against terrorism.”
The hearing was held at the Istanbul Courthouse in Çağlayan. It was the first hearing since Gürlek was appointed justice minister by President and AKP Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan the previous night. Gürlek was appointed justice minister by President Erdoğan the night before and took office yesterday after being sworn in at parliament.
In its final opinion, the prosecution requested that Aydın be punished.
In his defense statement, Aydın said that the CHP Youth Branch had shared speeches by CHP Chair Özgür Özel, stating:
“Just as the Justice and Development Party Youth Branch shares the speeches of their chair, just as the head of the Grey Wolves disseminates the words of their leader, we as the CHP Youth Branch share the speeches delivered by our Chair Özgür Özel from the parliamentary podium and in public squares addressing our nation.”
Aydın said they would come to power in the coming years, adding:
“We will be the ones in decision-making positions. We are not flawless; the day will come when there will be those who criticize us as well. We want our political rivals to be able to tell us without fear, ‘You are doing this wrong.’ We want no one to refrain from saying what they believe is right out of fear that something will happen to them. We want a young person to be able to post a tweet and criticize without fearing, ‘Will my home be raided at dawn?’”
One of Aydın’s lawyers, İsmail Emre Telci, also addressed the court and reacted to a social media post by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. Telci criticized the re-posting of the justice minister’s message from the prosecutor’s office account, saying it was unacceptable. In his statement against the prosecution’s opinion, Telci said:
“Last night the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office shared a post. Is the justice minister a minister or a chief public prosecutor? What does this mean? It is unacceptable for the prosecutor’s office to re-publish the post of someone who has acquired a political identity, moreover someone who has become justice minister. This is too much. This unlawfulness must be ended immediately. If this is the new republic regime, let us know. We demand that action be taken personally against everyone who made this post. This situation is directly related to our case as well. Such a disgrace cannot exist.”
Asked for his final words, Aydın said, “I request my acquittal.” The court took a 30-minute recess before announcing its ruling.
Acquitted of one charge
After the break, the court announced its decision, sentencing Aydın to 1 year, 5 months and 15 days in prison for “insult” and acquitting him of the charge of targeting individuals who have taken part in counterterrorism.
