08.04.2025 22:30
The details of the indictment prepared against Ümit Özdağ, the leader of the Victory Party, who is detained in Silivri, have emerged, with a request for a prison sentence of 7 years, 10 months, and 15 days. The indictment states that the protesters were influenced by Özdağ's posts regarding the incidents that occurred in Kayseri involving allegations of abuse against a 5-year-old girl of Syrian descent.
```html
Details of the indictment prepared against Ümit Özdağ, the Chairman of the Victory Party, regarding the crime of "inciting or humiliating the public to hatred and hostility" through press and media, have been reached, with a request for a prison sentence of 1 year 10 months and 15 days to 7 years 10 months and 15 days.
REQUEST FOR 7 YEARS OF PRISON FOR ÜMİT ÖZDAĞ An indictment was prepared on the 77th day of the detention of Ümit Özdağ, the Chairman of the Victory Party, who is held in Marmara Prison in Silivri. The indictment requested a prison sentence of 1 year 10 months to 7 years 10 months and 15 days for Özdağ on the charge of 'inciting the public to hatred and hostility through the press in a chain manner.'
"HE MADE SHARES CONTAINING DISINFORMATION ABOUT SYRIANS" In the indictment prepared by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, the Ministry of Interior's Directorate General of Migration Management and the General Directorate of Legal Services of the Ministry of Interior were listed as "whistleblowers." The indictment noted that Özdağ made disinformation posts about Syrians and other refugee groups in 34 posts on different dates from his social media account, and these posts were denied by the relevant authorities.
In the investigation conducted by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, it was reported that Ramin Saeidi, who was arrested for the crime of "inciting or humiliating the public to hatred and hostility," was found to have used the "Ambargotv" account in the digital material examination. The indictment included Saeidi's statement taken within the scope of the investigation. Saeidi stated that he was born in Tabriz, Iran, and that the Twitter account named "Ambargotv" did not belong to him but to Özdağ.
Saeidi, who stated that he was one of the people involved in the editing and arrangement of the videos shared on this account, mentioned that he met Özdağ in 2021 and said: "Upon this acquaintance, I started to voluntarily do the editing and editing work of the videos shared on the X, YouTube, and Instagram accounts belonging to Ümit Özdağ. I am still carrying out these tasks. Apart from these, I did not carry out the newsworthy posts mentioned in the research report in the investigation file. I did not determine the content of the posts made. I was directly requested by Ümit Özdağ. I would edit the videos according to these requests and show them to them as they asked. After their approval, I would share them on the specified social media platforms. I did not receive confirmation of the video editing I did. I was just making the arrangements as requested."
Saeidi, arguing that the posts here did not belong to him, stated, "I was only doing the editing of the videos to be shared, and I was carrying out these instructions by receiving them directly from Ümit Özdağ."
Ümit Özdağ, Chairman of the Victory Party "THOSE WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE PROTESTS IN KAYSERI WERE INFLUENCED BY ÖZDAĞ'S POSTS" The indictment stated that the video shot by Oğuzhan Kumpınar, a suspect in the investigation conducted by the Kayseri Chief Public Prosecutor's Office for the crime of "inciting the public to hatred and hostility," was shared from Özdağ's official X account.
The indictment referred to a report prepared by the Kayseri Security Directorate's Security Branch on January 21, stating that approximately 15,100 people participated in the protests that took place in Kayseri between June 30 and July 3, 2024, and that damage occurred to 263 residences-businesses and 166 vehicles in the neighborhoods where the events took place, and that 25 police personnel and 1 firefighter were injured, and it was evaluated that the participants were influenced by the posts made on social media by Victory Party members and supporters. The indictment noted that Özdağ did not accept the accusations against him in his defense and claimed that the legal elements of the alleged crime did not exist.
"THE POSTS ARE OF A NATURE TO INCITE HATRED AND HOSTILITY IN THE PUBLIC" The indictment stated that Özdağ's words and statements in his social media posts contained expressions aimed at provoking attitudes and behaviors, and that these posts were of a nature to direct a segment of the public against another segment, leading to hatred that would require discrimination. It was noted in the indictment that the posts were shared multiple times by many accounts and groups with comments, creating an agenda in the media, and it was evaluated that "this created an effect that would cause concern in the eyes of those provoked, resulting in an open and imminent danger to public safety."
The indictment emphasized that Özdağ's posts were effective in the formation of the events that occurred in Kayseri, and that the concrete danger element of the alleged crime had also occurred, and that the suspect continued to make posts of a nature to incite hatred and discrimination between August 18 and December 24, 2024, and that there was sufficient suspicion of the crime he was accused of. The indictment also reminded that an indictment was prepared against Özdağ for the crime of "insulting the President" due to the words he uttered against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at his party's provincial chairmen's consultation meeting.
In the prepared indictment, it was requested that Özdağ be sentenced to imprisonment for a period of 1 year 10 months and 15 days to 7 years 10 months and 15 days for the crime of "inciting or humiliating the public to hatred and hostility" through press and media in a chain manner. The indictment also requested the application of the provision of Article 53 of the Turkish Penal Code, which stipulates "deprivation of certain rights."
```