12.03.2026 21:48
The proposal for a general discussion regarding the live broadcast of the hearings known to the public as the "IBB Case" by TRT was rejected by the votes of the AK Party and MHP in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey.
The Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) General Assembly convened under the chairmanship of Deputy Speaker Pervin Buldan. The presidential decree regarding the official visit of the Chairman of the National Defense Commission, Hulusi Akar, and his accompanying delegation to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was accepted in the General Assembly. Additionally, the proposal of the Advisory Board not to convene on Tuesday, March 17, and Wednesday, March 18, was also accepted.
The general discussion proposal regarding the live broadcast of the hearings known to the public as the "Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) Case" by TRT was rejected with the votes of the AK Party and MHP.
"REMINDING BAHÇELI'S STATEMENTS" Speaking about the proposal, CHP Karaman Deputy İsmail Atakan Ünver referred to the discussions on transparency, stating, "Supposedly everyone is in favor of transparency, but insincerity is rampant. Although mouths say otherwise, when it comes to voting, the raised hands say no."
Reminding the statements of MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli regarding the live broadcast of the hearings, Ünver said, "This also shows that the indictment and evidence, which are said to be solid, are not that solid at all. Even the one who wrote the indictment does not trust it. The non-broadcasting of the hearings is actually aimed at protecting the defendants. However, at the point we have reached today, it has become the case that the non-broadcasting of the hearings undermines the personal rights of the defendants.
Recently, the unjust attitudes, like those biased approaches that have been trying to spread the accusation while ignoring the defense for months, have reached a level that obscures the material truth. TRT News shared a post titled 'Claims and Facts about İmamoğlu's Organized Crime Case' on its social media account. Is this TRT's job? TRT, which consumes the taxes of 85 million people and squanders resources, seems very curious about this case. But it is eager to play only on one side. There is an accusation, there is no defense. It has been a long time since we expected objective broadcasting from TRT."
İsmail Atakan Ünver "LET THE WHITE SHEEP AND BLACK SHEEP BE DISTINGUISHED IN FRONT OF THE PEOPLE" Stating that TRT cannot conduct objective public broadcasting but that the hearings can be broadcast live, Ünver said, "If we provide this opportunity as the Assembly, TRT will thus satisfy its curiosity."
Ünver continued his speech as follows: "We trust our presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu to the end. We have no doubts about him. If anyone trusts the indictment, they are welcome to come. If you say there is 'justice, the judiciary is independent and impartial' in this country, if you really trust the evidence in the file, if you claim that this file is not a political file, you should not be afraid of the people seeing the truth with their own eyes. Let TRT broadcast these hearings live. Let the people watch. As Mr. Bahçeli said: 'Let the white sheep and black sheep be distinguished in front of the people's eyes.' Come, if there is justice, let it manifest in front of the people's eyes."
ÖZKAYA: HOW WILL WE BROADCAST EVERYONE'S HEARING ON TRT? Speaking on behalf of the AK Party Group regarding the CHP's proposal, Afyonkarahisar Deputy Ali Özkaya, in relation to the discussions about the live broadcast of the IBB case on TRT, said, "Friends, there are thousands of mayors, elected deputies, district council members, municipal council members, muhtars, etc. How will we broadcast everyone's hearings on TRT?"
Addressing the judicial system in Turkey, Özkaya stated that there is no jury system, saying, "We will not be placed in the stands to convince the audience. We will respond to the indictment in the investigation." Özkaya expressed that during the trial, the defendants should respond to the allegations in the indictment, stating, "'What are these money towers?', 'Why did you buy three billion-lira villas in Istanbul from a bankrupt company in Ankara Çukurambar?'. They need to respond to these. As long as they respond to these, fair trial continues. The trial is the most basic right for all of us," he said.
Ali Özkaya "BEING ELECTED IS NOT AN OBSTACLE TO BEING TRIED" Özkaya continued his remarks as follows: "For a public official, being tried and proving their innocence is the most fundamental right. Instead of making a show, the defendant will respond to the indictment, and whether they are guilty or not, they will be acquitted. Being elected is not an obstacle to being tried. Everyone can be tried. Everyone can be tried. As long as they respond to thousands of accusations, the court will function properly, and as a result, everyone will be happy."