21.10.2026 13:12
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reacted sharply at the AK Party Group Meeting to hateful posts on social media following the death of Üsküdar Deputy Mayor Dündar Ziya Gültekin, who lost his life in a traffic accident last week. Describing the posts as a "despicable hate campaign," Erdoğan used the phrase "a mob devoid of any share of humanity" for those who made these posts.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan began his speech at the group meeting by commemorating Gültekin. President Erdoğan stated that the hate campaign, which he said was carried out on social media after Gültekin’s death, was managed from a single center, and noted that those who published condolence messages were also targeted.
“HE WAS A LOVER OF ÜSKÜDAR, AN EXCEPTIONAL PERSON”
At the beginning of his speech, Erdoğan wished mercy for Gültekin and said, “Our late brother Ziya Gültekin was a lover of Üsküdar, an exceptional person who loved his city and district with great passion and who was excited and happy to serve regardless of his position. He was a loved and respected name both within our organization and in Üsküdar.”
Stating that Gültekin stood out for his diligence and sincerity during his deputy mayoralty, Erdoğan said, “We were pleased with him. May God be pleased with him as well. I kiss each of the eyes of his three orphaned children whom he left to us as a trust, and I pray that Almighty God grants them patience and fortitude.”
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE NEW DEPUTY MAYOR
Erdoğan also congratulated Muhammed Emin Sarıoğlu, who was elected Üsküdar Deputy Mayor in yesterday’s vote, and said he believed Sarıoğlu would serve the people of Üsküdar with love.
“HATE CAMPAIGN UNDERSTOOD TO HAVE BEEN MANAGED FROM A SINGLE CENTER”
Expressing his sadness over what happened after Gültekin’s death, Erdoğan said:
“Look, there are values that make a human being human. Respect for grief is one of them. Empathy is one of them. After the death of our brother Ziya, which plunged us all into grief, we witnessed a vile hate campaign that appeared to be managed from a single center, especially on social media platforms. A rabble devoid of humanity vomited out all the pus they had accumulated inside against a person they never knew.”
“I REFER THESE WRETCHES TO ALMIGHTY GOD”
Noting that those who published condolence messages were also targeted, Erdoğan said, “This frenzy reached such a level that they attacked everyone who fulfilled their most basic human duty by publishing a condolence message. I refer these wretches, whose hearts have turned to stone and who no longer have any connection with humanity except their outward appearance, to Almighty God.”
HE HAD AN ACCIDENT ON THE ROAD TO ANKARA
Yesterday, Dündar Ziya Gültekin (43) was involved in a chain-reaction traffic accident at the Sarıçökek location in the Kaynaşlı district of Düzce on the Anatolian Highway while traveling to Ankara for the election of the deputy president of the Union of Municipalities of Türkiye. Five people, including Gültekin, were injured in the accident. Gültekin, who was taken to a private hospital in Düzce, could not be saved despite the interventions.
A funeral ceremony was held for Gültekin at Büyük Çamlıca Mosque after Friday prayers. At the ceremony, which President Erdoğan also attended, Erdoğan was among those who carried Gültekin’s coffin on their shoulders. Gültekin was buried in Nakkaştepe Cemetery. Gültekin, who was married and a father of three, was born in Üsküdar in 1983.
HOW WAS HE ELECTED DEPUTY MAYOR?
After CHP’s Üsküdar Mayor Sinem Dedetaş was arrested on July 31 and removed from office by the Ministry of Interior on August 1, an election was held for deputy mayor. CHP candidate Sibel Tan Çetinkaya won the first vote on August 5 with 22 votes, while Gültekin received 18 votes. Upon the AK Party’s objection, the Istanbul 2nd Administrative Court suspended the execution of the result and ruled that the election be renewed. In the 4th round of the election held on September 8, Gültekin received 23 votes and defeated Çetinkaya, who received 19 votes, and was elected deputy mayor.