22.01.2025 15:30
The statement of Ümit Özdağ, the leader of the Victory Party, who was arrested and sent to prison for the crime of "inciting the public to hatred and hostility," has emerged. Özdağ said, "The reason why my arrest is so eagerly desired is that a similar assassination to that of the late Kaşif Kozinoğlu is being contemplated for Ümit Özdağ. If someone is thinking this, they should know that I have been aware of it for a long time."
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has launched an investigation against Ümit Özdağ, the Chairman of the Victory Party, on the grounds of 'Insulting the President' due to his remarks directed at President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during his party's provincial chairmen consultation meeting on January 19, 2025. Özdağ was detained at a restaurant in Ankara where he was having dinner as part of the investigation.
HE WAS ARRESTED AND SENT TO PRISON
Ümit Özdağ, who was brought to Istanbul by police teams, was transferred to the Istanbul Courthouse after his procedures at the police station. It has been learned that the investigation initiated by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office regarding Özdağ has also been expanded concerning the crime of 'Publicly Inciting Hatred and Hostility'. Ümit Özdağ, who was brought to the Çağlayan Courthouse early yesterday morning, was referred to the court after being interrogated by the prosecutor, with a request for his arrest. After his defense was taken at the court, Ümit Özdağ was arrested for the crime of 'Publicly Inciting Hatred and Hostility.'
"NUMAN KURTULMUŞ HAD STATED THERE WERE 4 MILLION SYRIANS"
The statement given by Ümit Özdağ at the court has emerged. In Özdağ's statement, he said, "After 2011, a large migration occurred starting from Syria to our country, and there are currently 5 million registered and 2 million illegal Syrians. Although the Ministry of Interior states this number as 2 million, it is not true. Numan Kurtulmuş, who is currently the Speaker of the Parliament and was the AK Party Group Chairman during that period, had stated to me and then to the entire press that there were over 4 million registered Syrians in Turkey. There is disinformation here. A few months ago, an AK Party deputy said, 'Turkey must be in Syria because one-third of the population is here.' Currently, there are a total of 13 million migrants from various countries in Turkey. Turkey is the country that receives the most migration in the world. As the Victory Party, we argue that this population hinders development and poses a serious geopolitical threat to the country. We want the mines that were removed after 2011 to be reinstalled and for refugees to return in accordance with the law through the Anatolian Project. We do not have enmity towards Syrians. May God not let what happened to the Syrians happen to anyone else. The Turkish people's dissatisfaction with refugees and illegal immigrants is sometimes seen on social media when these people engage in illegal activities," he said.
"IT HAS BEEN REVEALED THAT I DID NOT INSULT THE PRESIDENT"
Continuing his statement, Özdağ said, "I was detained by dozens of police while having dinner in a restaurant for insulting the President. Without even taking my medications, I was brought to Istanbul in a vehicle going at 180 kilometers per hour right after the examination. I spent the night at the Vatan Police Station and stayed there until noon. When I arrived here, I learned that another file had been added to this case. My tweets sent at different times were used as evidence. I had quoted some tweets at different times, and thus I saw that the axis of the investigation had changed. It has been revealed that I did not insult the President through statements and declarations. However, the prosecutor thought that the tweets I sent regarding the events in Kayseri created an environment," he stated.
"THERE IS NO CONNECTION OF THE VICTORY PARTY TO THE EVENTS, THERE IS A SETUP"
Regarding his posts related to the events in Kayseri, Özdağ said, "In the tweets I sent about Kayseri, I called on people to return to their homes and stated that this is an imperialist project. I said, 'They are trying to pit us against each other.' In the report prepared by the Kayseri Provincial Police Department, there are no such posts of mine. I immediately sent someone to the region. These friends made calming statements in Kayseri, and no one from the Victory Party was detained or arrested in the events. Moreover, there are studies conducted by cyber crimes. In these studies, it has been determined that most of the accounts are located abroad. Those within the country have been arrested, and none of them are from the Victory Party. While the situation is at this center, I had not tweeted before the events related to Kayseri. The tweets I sent belong to different times and places; in one incident, a 7-year-old girl was attempted to be sexually assaulted by a 27-year-old Syrian man.
"I HAVE BEEN AWARE OF THE ASSASSINATION POSSIBILITY FOR A LONG TIME"
The police wanted to detain this person after hearing about the incident. The Syrians there were involved in the incident and resisted the police. Our citizens present there went outside to help the police, and the events began. The Victory Party has no connection or relation to these events. There is a setup. Despite there being no crime, a campaign has been launched saying, 'Ümit Özdağ should be arrested.' Troll accounts on social media are doing this. The sources of these troll accounts are political. I have also received information that the reason for the strong desire for my arrest is that a similar assassination to that of the late Kaşif Kozinoğlu is being considered for Ümit Özdağ. If someone is thinking this, they should know that I have been aware of it for a long time. As an academic, I have given courses in intelligence and counter-terrorism at the General Directorate of Security; I have taught constitutional law at the Police Academy; I have conducted projects and studies at the National Security Academy, and I am sensitive to ensure that the unity and integrity of Turkey are not disrupted. The Victory Party has never carried out any action that would disrupt this integrity. The Twitter account in the file belongs to me. I do not accept the accusations against me. I request my release," he said.