İmamoğlu on the 'Kobani Case': The result of a political trial

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu answered questions from journalists regarding the current agenda in Rome, Italy, where he traveled for the 2027 European Games signing ceremony.

İmamoğlu responded to a question regarding the sentences given to the defendants in the Kobani Case, which includes former HDP Co-Chairs Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ.

Speaking to journalist İsmail Saymaz, here is İmamoğlu's assessment of the sentences handed down in the Kobani Case:

"PEOPLE CAN END UP IN PRISON FOR NOTHING THROUGH POLITICAL TRIALS"

It is the result of a political trial. I say this with regret, but there are many political cases in Turkey. People can end up in prison for nothing through political trials.

We are talking about normalization. The first rule of normalization is justice, and acting in accordance with justice. Politics should not be used as a tool for justice. We live in a country where decisions that make us forget justice are sometimes made in a political manner.

We must remove violence from the political agenda and pave the way for legal politics. We do not find it right for anyone to be punished as long as they do not resort to violence. We are against terror and terrorist organizations, but as long as the decisions made are based on political foundations, no one's conscience can be at ease.

In the past, there have been many political punishments in this country. Recently, we have lived through days where even people we knew were behind political punishment decisions were themselves tried and punished. Just as that was wrong then, it is even more wrong today. Because 20 years have passed since those days. We should be progressing, but we have gone backward.

"WHETHER THE NAME IS DEMİRTAŞ OR AHMET TÜRK"

Whether the name is Selahattin Demirtaş or Ahmet Türk. Convicting these people will gain this country nothing. And it will not gain anything.

If we destroy legal politics, we have no chance of creating a reasonable and logical environment, a country where people feel at peace and secure.

I am also an actor in a political case. I also have a case pending. I am a person facing a political ban. Who can know that the sentence will not be increased in the higher court? It could be increased. We could very well be facing such an agenda. Is this a joke? No. Should it cause concern? It absolutely should. Am I concerned? Honestly, I am not. But there are thousands of people who feel this concern, ask me, and say, "What will happen with your case?"

In terms of Turkey standing on solid ground, the decisions made today have no benefit to the country; they are harmful.

News Source: 12punto