10.06.2026 10:10
At the 47th hearing of the İBB case involving 414 defendants, including Ekrem İmamoğlu, Medya AŞ General Manager Fatoş Pınar Türker tearfully recounted the detention process and made serious allegations. Starting her speech with "If anyone is ashamed, they can leave," she claimed she was subjected to a strip search, stating, "The officer put on gloves and said, 'Take off your sweatpants and underwear. Expose your genitals. Turn around and bend over.'"
The hearing of the corruption case against the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB), involving 414 defendants, 68 of whom are detained—including Ekrem İmamoğlu, the arrested and suspended IBB Mayor—took place on its 47th day yesterday (Tuesday, June 9) at the 1st Hearing Hall of Marmara Closed Prison in Silivri, before the Istanbul 40th Heavy Penal Court. During the hearing, Media AŞ General Manager Fatoş Pınar Türker continued her defense. Recalling the arrest process with tears in the courtroom, Türker claimed she was subjected to a strip search, beginning her speech with "If anyone is ashamed, they can leave."
"POLICE FROM THE HOMICIDE DIVISION CAME TO MY HOME" Türker described her arrest on March 19, saying, "The police came to the house. Upon entering, they immediately took my phone and said, 'Don't touch anything, nobody move, don't destroy evidence.' I said, 'Didn't you come for financial crimes? What evidence would we destroy?' The police said, 'We come from the homicide division.' When that happened, my daughters started crying loudly. I said, 'What homicide?' He said, 'There's an operation going on, no police left, so we came.'"
"YOU LOSE YOUR SENSE OF TIME IN THE CELL" Describing how she couldn't even give her child a glass of water at that moment, Türker said, "We entered Vatan Security. I really thought I wouldn't get out of there, but then I guess I entered the cell for the second time. I had an assistant. Fatoş came, Ceyda came. Lots of people I didn't recognize came. You lose your sense of time in the cell because it's in the basement, with no windows or openings. There's terrible dirt everywhere. I don't know which day it was; a female officer came and said, 'We will search you.' They took us one by one. I went too."
SHE CLAIMED STRIP SEARCH AFTER SAYING "IF ANYONE IS ASHAMED, THEY CAN LEAVE" Describing the strip search process, Türker, struggling at times during her speech, expressed her experience as follows:
“The female officer took me to a room like an archive. She said, 'Undress.' I said, 'What do you mean?' She put on gloves. There were folders behind, a very small room. 'Take off your clothes,' she said. I took off my clothes. She checked. 'Okay. You can put your clothes on,' she said. I said, 'Can I go?' 'No. Also lower your tracksuit,' she said. I lowered it. 'Your underwear too,' I said, 'What do you mean?' 'You will lower it,' she said. So I lowered both to my ankles. 'Now squat down,' she said. If anyone is ashamed, they can leave; I am not ashamed, but it seems this is done to break these people's honor and dignity, but let those who do it be ashamed, I am not ashamed. 'Open your genitals,' she said. 'Turn your head, turn around, bend over,' etc. 'Okay,' she said. Since she had put on gloves but didn't use them, we were glad. Because I thought it would be like a gynecological exam or something. When she put on gloves, we were happy in the cell later; after being arrested, I'll never forget Fatoş's screams and Elif's crying."
"SINCE FATOŞ SCREAMED A LOT, I DECIDED TO STAY QUIET" Fatoş Pınar Türker described the process of being arrested and transferred to Silivri, saying, "We arrived at the prison, 5 women. They said, 'We will put you in a 6-person ward.' We were very happy. Then the warden said, 'A directive came from the Ministry of Justice. We will put you separately.' They took us away. We were holding hands with Elif (Atayman) anyway. We came to the first ward's door, 'This is yours,' they said. They opened the ward, put me inside. The door closed. I immediately ran to the window. I ran to the window to see if they had put Elif and Fatoş (Ayık) in the neighboring ward... Then Fatoş, then Elif. Fatoş was screaming a lot. Since Fatoş screamed a lot, I thought something would happen to her, so I decided to stay quiet. Because one of us is silent, one of us is crying. What's worse, if there's no sound, we can't see each other; we talk through the window."
SHE DESCRIBED HER MEETING WITH THE PROSECUTOR Türker also described the meeting held after her arrest at the prosecutor's invitation, saying, "He said, 'With this attitude, you will never see your children again. You're single, right? You have custody? Your children aren't adults yet, right? Well, Child Protective Services will take your children now.' How can anyone say that to a mother?"
Türker concluded her defense with the words: "I have no qualms about being tried as the General Manager of Media AŞ. If we have made any mistake, let it come to light. I think there is none, I believe I will be acquitted 100%, not 90%, but please, I beg you, judge Pınar, the General Manager of Media AŞ, but please release Pınar the mother. Give me house arrest; I just want to sit hand in hand with my children."