First statement from Mehmet Akif Ersoy following his arrest in drug investigation

Habertürk Editor-in-Chief Mehmet Akif Ersoy, who was dismissed from his position after being detained as part of a "drug" investigation, has made his first statement following his arrest.

Ersoy used the following expressions:

I am facing a situation that is difficult to accept both legally and in terms of conscience. As I clearly stated during the interrogation phase;

Throughout my professional life spanning nearly twenty years, all my activities have taken place in the public eye; I have never had any hidden or secret dealings. There is not a single piece of concrete evidence against me in the file. The statements of the secret witnesses are both inconsistent within themselves and far from having any legal validity. Far from having an organizational connection with the individuals who are the subject of the accusation, I have not even spoken to some of them for years.

The accusations I am subjected to today are the latest link in a chain of character assassination and defamation that has been systematically carried out against me for some time. Manipulations produced on social media, deliberate smear campaigns, and lies directed by certain circles have fueled this process. I have been subjected to discrediting campaigns before; I was cleared before the law or filed the necessary lawsuits. Now, the same method is being staged again with a different narrative.

It is very clear that some secret witness testimonies are destined to collapse within the natural course of the investigation. Despite this, I have been faced with an arrest decision, which is the most severe measure that restricts my freedom. This is not only a legal shock but also a great human one.

The common sense, fairness, and calls for justice shown by people from different segments of society during this process have given me strength during these difficult days I am going through. Seeing that consciences have not died is hopeful.

I am making this statement to share the true face of the process, which is being presented to the public in a deliberately distorted manner, and to protect both my professional and family reputation. With the struggle I will wage during the investigation process, I will not let down those who trusted me and did not believe the baseless allegations against me.

My dear family, my beautiful children, my very precious friends, I love you all very much. I believe that there is good in what happens. Both the hardship and the grace are welcome.