He made headlines with his remarks about prisons in Turkey: Criminal complaint filed against Merdan Yanardağ

İlhami Ödekbaş, an officer on duty at Marmara Prison, has filed a criminal complaint regarding journalist Merdan Yanardağ's remarks about prisons in Turkey made during the program "18 Minutes" on TELE1.

In the petition submitted to the Silivri Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, the following words spoken by Yanardağ during the program broadcast on the television channel on December 19 were cited: "Syria's prisons are no worse than the prisons in Turkey. If one compares the cruelty in these prisons, let no one try to compete in cruelty, or else you will be forced to send the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD)." The remarks were quoted.

ACCUSATION OF "INSULTING PENAL INSTITUTIONS"

The petition, which noted that Yanardağ compared Marmara Prison to a prison in Syria known to be used as a torture center, stated: "It is understood that he slandered the personnel at every level, including the correctional officers, chief officers, and institution directors working in our institution, by portraying them as people who torture and mistreat convicts and detainees, and that he publicly insulted our state's penal institutions."These statements were included.

In the petition, it was alleged that Merdan Yanardağ acted with the intent to create anxiety, fear, and panic among the public, particularly among the relatives of convicts and detainees, and that he publicly disseminated false information. The petition requested that the necessary investigation be conducted against him for the crimes of "denigrating the Turkish nation, the Republic of Turkey, and the state's institutions and bodies" and "publicly disseminating misleading information."

News Source: 12punto