Bombshell claim in letter from Aykut Erdoğdu from Silivri Prison! 'After the operation against the CHP is completed...'

Former CHP deputy Aykut Erdoğdu, who was detained and arrested in the 5th wave of operations launched by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office targeting the İBB, sent a letter from Silivri Prison to Sözcü columnist Uğur Dündar.

In his letter, Erdoğdu described his days in prison as well as the process of his arrest.

Dündar shared Erdoğdu's letter in his column today.

The full text of Aykut Erdoğdu's letter is as follows:

Dear Uğur, my elder brother,

First of all, I want you to know that my health, morale, and energy are good, and I ask you not to worry about me. Your health is very important both for those who love you and for our nation. Please take good care of yourself.

Do not let the facts I will explain and the assessments I will make in the following parts of my letter upset you or lower your morale. I ask you to evaluate all these events as the honorable resistance of a patriot, a member of the Kuvay-ı Milliye (National Forces).

They say, "Everyone is innocent in prison." Still, let me say that I have never taken a bribe, given a bribe, or acted as an intermediary in my entire life. I was arrested in an absurd manner on the grounds that I conveyed a request that serves a high public interest, which could not be a matter of bribery and should normally be a source of pride and appreciation. My innocence will be revealed sooner or later. I will explain that an event that did not happen, did not happen. I will explain it with evidence.

Dear Uğur, my elder brother,

I am currently sitting in the courtyard of my cell writing this letter. The courtyard, as I call it, is a 4-meter by 6-meter, 24-square-meter pit surrounded by 10-meter-high walls where I can only see the sky through barbed wire and iron cages. Since this dark pit is the only place where we can see the sky, we eagerly wait for the morning and for the door of this pit to be opened.

Each of us is held in separate cells. It is forbidden for us to see or talk to each other. Our cells are very dirty and gloomy. They made us clean our cells by giving each of us limited supplies. Because the drains in my cell were clogged, the toilet overflowed twice and the kitchen overflowed 5 times. I cleaned the cell every day, and I accepted this not as a humiliation but as a part of my patriotic duty.

My precious elder brother,

According to the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), the Criminal Procedure Code (CMK), and the execution laws, only those sentenced to life imprisonment are kept in cells like us. And they are kept in cells for a maximum of three years. Mayor Ekrem, myself, and our friends are treated like life-sentence convicts. We have a spending limit of 3,500 TL here. Since more than half of my limit went to cigarettes, I could not even buy my most basic needs.

Because the kitchen was constantly overflowing, I washed my mess-tin plates in a cleaning bucket. I couldn't buy water so that I would have money left for cigarettes. I drank tap water. The knives given to us so we wouldn't cut ourselves have been dulled, left the size of a fingernail. Even when you eat with a fork and spoon, they bend and twist. All the materials are the worst possible, and you can't even get them. For two weeks, I had to live in and clean a sewer where the toilet and kitchen overflowed. I am hesitant about whether to tell these things or not. Because our nation, reading these, might see us as helpless and fall into fear, panic, and sadness. Yet, each of us is resisting all this pressure and persecution like lions.

Dear Uğur, my elder brother,

I predict that when my family, relatives, loved ones, and our nation read what I have told so far, they will be saddened, and some will have tears in their eyes. (The courtyard closed, I went inside and wrote at the table, so my handwriting improved.) Whatever happened to us happened because of our naivety, our kindness, and our conscience. I am afraid that what is happening will take away our naivety and our kindness.

My precious elder brother,

Until now, some journalists have sent written questions to conduct interviews. Due to the conditions I mentioned just now, I could not write answers to these questions. From now on, no matter what the conditions are, I will continue to think and write about the country's politics.

I know that with this letter, I will anger those who are conducting covert operations against us and their spokespeople. But as an honest, brave, and determined patriot, I see it as a "debt to the homeland" to take this risk and write the truth, only the truth. Again, I underline that they will find nothing but absurd assumptions, slanders, and fake evidence regarding the slander thrown at me. And I will refute all of them one by one during the trial. I repeat, I did not take part in any event that could have a suspicion of "bribery." They will not find a single image, a single conversation, a single piece of correspondence, or a single cash movement regarding this slander. Because it does not exist.

I expect that as soon as they find the opportunity, they will try to divide and fragment the CHP with an operation. The only unexpected thing in this regard is the great democratic reaction of our nation and geostrategic developments. When they see the environment as suitable and find the opportunity, they will carry out their operations in a planned manner. After the operation against the CHP is completed, it will be the turn of the other opposition. The DEM Party will be converted through the reconciliation process. The rest of the opposition will be eroded through transfers; those who resist this will be terrorized and interned. Meanwhile, the opposition press will be threatened to be silenced, and newspapers and television stations that resist these threats will be silenced.

The CHP is the last remaining fortress, and they feel they have to destroy it. If the CHP is destroyed, the political and social opposition will collapse like dominoes.

At this stage, it is useful to explain the economic reasons for the operation. The last drops of blood in the marrow of the Turkish economy were consumed with the illusion of "Nas Economics" in order to win the 2023 elections. Berat Albayrak expressed this situation by saying, "Horse tracks have mixed with dog tracks," and resigned. Erdoğan must be seeing much more of this picture that we see from afar. Current economic conditions will become even more severe. There is a possibility that the votes of the AKP-MHP bloc will fall below 30% in total within a year.

The regional war currently taking place in our region and the new wars that will break out (Ukraine-Russia, Pakistan-India, China-USA) have economic causes. I will keep the counting and explaining of these causes very short, as it would greatly increase the volume of this letter. Ultimately, neoliberal capitalism has created companies much larger than states. As of today, nations and states, including the USA and the EU, are excessively indebted to these companies and are on the verge of bankruptcy. Seeing this situation, Trump has started looting expeditions. Ukraine was looted. The Gulf was looted. Iran and Turkey are next. Erdoğan wants to get rid of this looting by taking a place on the US-Israel line during this looting, if possible, to get a share of this looting, and to carry the Turkish economy to the elections with the 100-150 billion dollars of resources he expects from here.

While the existence of our homeland and our nation is under such an imminent threat, I do not understand, I cannot understand, this practice applied to us during a period when we need unity and solidarity the most.

I think that a narrow group that defines itself as "the state" and is not from the AKP base, and a few politicians within the party who are close to President Erdoğan, support what is being done. Apart from these, I think that all state institutions and the main body of AKP politics are very worried about what is happening and do not approve of it. I see that the state is locked due to what is happening. I estimate that not only the bureaucrats of CHP municipalities but also the bureaucrats of all executive ministries cannot make decisions, do not use initiative, and are considering resigning for fear of something happening to them. I estimate that not only bureaucrats but also politicians and business people are experiencing fear and panic due to the signals of their phones and HTS records. Everyone may be worried that slander will be thrown at them at any moment. We will soon begin to see the effects of the permanent damage that this environment of fear and terror will leave behind. I am worried that it will lead to severe consequences in a very wide range, from production loss to migration abroad, from employment loss and unemployment to a decline in birth rates.

I see that the AKP politicians and the bureaucrats who manage state institutions are slowing down the worsening of this whole process, but the ultimate democratic power is in our nation. Our nation is already giving its democratic reaction by participating in rallies and protests and changing its voting preferences. Because the nation is tired and fed up with oppression, injustice, hunger, poverty, and unemployment.

After this stage, I would like to end my writing/letter by writing my political predictions and recommendations.

Under the current economic, social, political, and geostrategic conditions, the AKP-MHP bloc is constantly losing votes. Due to the effect of the Iran-Israel war, this vote loss may stop for a few months or even rise slightly. However, as the current economic situation deteriorates rapidly due to the war, the vote erosion will accelerate, and it is likely that the total votes of the AKP-MHP bloc will fall below 30% by the beginning of 2026.

Faced with this heavy picture, Erdoğan will have two alternatives. Either he will compromise and hand over power, or as a final move, he will cancel the elections. For the survival of our nation, even if we forget the pain we have suffered and the CHP management takes a step for reconciliation, our nation may not allow such a reconciliation.

After this stage, as a patriot who is ready to pay any price to change the current heavy picture, let me write my recommendations:

It would be appropriate for President Erdoğan to invite all opposition leaders without discrimination and give a message of unity and solidarity to the whole world, which is on the verge of World War III.

In order to solve the Kurdish issue, rapid steps should be taken with "the indivisible integrity of the homeland" as our red line and by actively involving "martyrs' families and veterans" in the process.

All political prisoners should be released, and prisons should be emptied with sentence reductions, "excluding those who have committed serious crimes against individuals."

Our trial should continue in "fair, impartial, and independent courts." For my part, I never, ever want to get rid of this slander as a result of a bargain. I want to get rid of this black mark on my forehead in the presence of the court. And I definitely want to be tried without arrest.

I recommend that a commission be established with the opposition to exit the deepest economic crisis in Turkey's history with an economic program prepared by national consensus,

I recommend that after all these steps are taken sincerely and an environment of mutual trust is established, a Constitutional consensus commission be established to ensure justice and democracy and especially to strengthen the separation of powers, without making regulations specific to individuals.

All my recommendations and thoughts were made under the current situation. In a process where history flows very fast, conditions can change completely within a few months. The solution recommendations we propose today may become meaningless tomorrow.

I know that I will emerge from this cell with my head held high and my face clean, thanks to the democratic determination and resolve of our nation. I predict that our nation will end this persecution as soon as possible.

I am in a patriotic struggle, as much as I can, so that our nation and our state can emerge stronger from this sad and dark picture. As my final word, I repeat the words I said during the arrest decision: LONG LIVE THE HOMELAND.

Dear Uğur, my elder brother,

I have followed this whole process closely in prison and before. There is anger and confusion in both the AKP and CHP wings. I see that our Chairman and the CHP will emerge victorious from this struggle. However, in order to prevent this process from causing permanent damage to our country, I have tried to create a solution perspective by taking a great risk.

In concluding my letter, I offer my most sincere greetings and respects to you, your family, and your readers.

Stay healthy.

Aykut ERDOĞDU

Silivri CİK No. 9 Closed Prison

18.06.2025