Erdoğan had signaled it during the February 6 earthquakes: Prison sentence sought for young man who lost relatives in the disaster

A lawsuit has been filed against Galatasaray University student Arda Karademir for "publicly insulting the President" due to a social media post in which he reacted to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's statement following the February 6 earthquakes: "When the day comes, we will open the notebook we are keeping now."

Karademir has been under house arrest for 95 days after being detained in a dawn raid at his dormitory before May 1. In the indictment prepared by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, it was claimed that Karademir's post "damaged the honor and dignity of the President," and a prison sentence of 1 year and 2 months to 4 years and 8 months was requested.

HIS POST WAS DEEMED A CRIME

The indictment states that the post Arda Karademir made on his social media account on February 8, 2023, was a response to the statement President Erdoğan made on February 7 following the earthquakes. In his statement, Erdoğan had used the following expressions:

"This is not the day to argue with them. When the day comes, we will open the notebook we are keeping now."

Referring to these words, Karademir had made the following post:

“Shame on anyone who fears you and your threats, bows to your tyranny, and does not hold you and those like you accountable before justice when the day comes. You, as the sole man governing the country, are responsible for everything that has happened to this people. You are guilty. You will be tried. We will not forget. We will not forgive.”

The indictment alleged that these words "exceeded the limits of criticism," "contained insults," and carried the element of publicity. Thus, it was claimed that the crime of "publicly insulting the President" was committed.

"ENEMY LAW IS BEING APPLIED TO MY CLIENT"

Karademir's lawyer, Mustafa Atahan Öztürk, stated that his client, who was detained on the morning of April 30, had no criminal charges against him at the time, and that the house arrest measure was later decided based on his social media post. Öztürk evaluated the process with these words:

“A young man who lost his relatives in the earthquake is being punished for sharing a grievance about the pain he experienced. My client has been under house arrest for 95 days. Freedom of expression and human dignity are being trampled upon. We lost more than 53 thousand of our citizens in the earthquake. While earthquake suspects are free, there is a student who cannot step out of his house because of a post. This is not a legal decision, but a political one.”

Stating that their applications based on health grounds were also ignored, Öztürk said, "Who will account for the irreparable damages my client is suffering?"

COURT EXTENDS HOUSE ARREST DECISION

The Istanbul 23rd Criminal Court of First Instance decided to continue the house arrest and the ban on traveling abroad, citing the fact that Arda Karademir's defense has not yet been taken and the content of the file. The court's decision included the following statements:

“As it is understood that the judicial control measure applied to the defendant Arda Karademir will be proportionate at this stage, it has been decided that the judicial control measures of not being able to travel abroad and not leaving the residence, imposed by the decision of the Istanbul 10th Criminal Judgeship of Peace dated May 3, 2025, shall continue separately and exactly as they are.”

News Source: 12punto