The prosecutor in the trial of Çağlar Demirel, a former deputy of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) from Diyarbakır, accused of "insulting the president," has requested an acquittal. The court adjourned the hearing to decide on the verdict.
Çağlar Demirel, a former Diyarbakır deputy and Group Deputy Chairperson for the HDP, faced charges in the eighth hearing at the Diyarbakır 5th Criminal Court of First Instance. The charges stemmed from speeches she made at two separate events, allegedly insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Demirel did not attend the hearing, but her lawyer, Serdar Çelebi, was present, along with observers from MLSA Case Monitoring and journalists.
The hearing, which started one hour and fifteen minutes later than scheduled, saw the prosecutor present his final opinion to the court. He argued that the statements made by Demirel in her speeches did not constitute the crime of "insulting the president" and requested her acquittal. Following this, Çelebi agreed with the prosecutor's opinion.
The judge stated that a verdict would not be given today and decided to postpone the case. Çelebi reminded the court that both the prosecution and the defense were seeking the same outcome, and according to the Criminal Procedure Code, the court did not have the authority to conduct an investigation on its own. He insisted that the court should make a decision. The judge responded that Çelebi could submit this request in writing.
The judge decided to conduct further examination of the case file and postponed the hearing to March 21, 2024.
Background:
The charges against Çağlar Demirel, a former HDP deputy and Group Deputy Chairperson in Diyarbakır, were based on two speeches she made in 2016. An indictment was prepared under Article 299 of the Turkish Penal Code, alleging "insult to the president."
The indictment claimed Demirel insulted the president's honor and dignity in a manner offensive to the public. It referenced her response on May 29, 2016, to Erdoğan's remarks about the HDP during a Diyarbakır rally, and her statement on July 1, 2016, accusing the "Palace" of groveling to Israel and Russia.
In her defense statement in court, Demirel argued that her speeches contained no criminal element and were within the bounds of freedom of thought and expression. She stated, "What I did in this speech was to return the words the president said against us." Emphasizing her role as the representative of the people of Diyarbakır who elected her as a deputy, she questioned, "If I'm not going to speak on their behalf, why was I elected as a deputy?"
