07.11.2026 00:00
A scathing statement came from the lawyer of Beşir Ömer Demir, the bodyguard who is alleged to have been subjected to sexual assault by Mustafa Sarıgül. Lawyer Mirkan Günay Topcu, reacting to Sarıgül's words for Demir, 'He is our son,' said, 'Our client has declared to the competent judicial authorities that he was subjected to sexual assault and abuse by Mustafa Sarıgül. What our client experienced is not a father-son relationship, but a relationship of power and dependency that constitutes the source of the victimization.'
Beşir Ömer Demir, the bodyguard who is alleged to have been subjected to sexual assault by Mustafa Sarıgül, made a statement through his lawyer. Reacting to Sarıgül's words "He is our child," lawyer Mirkan Günay Topcu said that his client had been subjected to Sarıgül's abuse for a long time.
In his statement, Topcu included the following remarks: "Due to the publications made about our client Beşir Ömer Demir in the press and on social media in recent weeks, an obligation to inform the public has arisen in order to protect our client's personal rights and human dignity.
"NOT A FATHER-CHILD RELATIONSHIP, BUT A RELATIONSHIP OF POWER AND DEPENDENCE"
Our client has declared to the competent judicial authorities that he was subjected to sexual assault and abuse by Mustafa Sarıgül, for whom he served as a close bodyguard for many years. Our client is the victim in this case. Under the influence and pressure of a political figure many times more powerful than himself, he was forced to remain silent in fear for years. We absolutely do not accept Mr. Mustafa Sarıgül's description of our client as "our child." What our client experienced was not a father-child relationship, but a relationship of power and dependence that constitutes the source of the victimization. The claim that our client gave his statements out of fear of imprisonment is also contrary to the truth. Our client has not been involved in any crime and gave his statements of his own free will.
We do not accept the statements of third parties that have been reflected in the press and that portray our client as a part of or an intermediary in the events that occurred. Our client has not played a role in anyone's victimization. We will make all our statements regarding these statements only before judicial authorities.
"OUR CLIENT AND HIS FAMILY ARE FACING AN OPEN PUBLIC LYNCHING"
Our client has once again been victimized, first by the abuse he was subjected to, then by images recorded and published without his consent in 2024, and today by a severe exposure. Statements in the investigation file, which is subject to a confidentiality order, are being leaked, our client's most private life is being turned into tabloid material, and in most of the news reports, even in detention reports concerning other people, our client's face and photographs are being used. Our client and his family are facing an open public lynching. The victim of sexual assault can be a woman or a man; the fact that the victim is a man cannot be a justification for making what he experienced the subject of ridicule, exposure, and tabloid journalism.
We invite all individuals and media organizations, including journalists, commentators, and social media accounts, who have made our client a target by sharing his photographs or statements concerning the investigation file, to immediately remove these posts, and we warn them of the legal and criminal liability that will arise otherwise. We request that press organizations not use images showing our client's face and identity, and that they remove or make unrecognizable those already published.
Our client's rights to file a complaint and to participate in the case concerning the sexual assault and abuse he was subjected to are reserved. Criminal complaints will be filed against all persons who violate the privacy of private life, unlawfully disseminate personal data, and violate the confidentiality of the investigation, within the scope of Articles 134, 136, and 285 of the Turkish Penal Code; access-blocking applications will be made for publications containing violations; and all legal remedies, including material and moral compensation, will be pursued.
"WE WILL FOLLOW THE PROCESS TO THE END"
The legal assessment of what happened belongs to independent judicial authorities. Our client trusts the judiciary and will follow the process to the end. We request that the public and the press respect the human dignity and private life of our client, who has paid the heaviest price in this case. All future statements on behalf of our client will be made only by his attorney. Respectfully announced to the public."