Enver Aysever's lawyer: My client used the phrase 'I will not shake a thief's hand' for İmamoğlu

Mikayil Dilbaz, the lawyer for journalist Enver Aysever—who was arrested on charges of "inciting the public to hatred and hostility or insulting" due to comments he made during a live broadcast—has clarified on his social media account the claims circulating in the public sphere regarding his client's remarks about Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and Republican People's Party (CHP) Chairman Özgür Özel.

Dilbaz stated that his client used the phrase "I will not shake a thief's hand" in reference to Ekrem İmamoğlu and told Özgür Özel, "Mr. Chairman, if you occupy the party's sole agenda with defending thieves, I fear that we will be changing places."

CONFIRMED THE CLAIMS

The statement shared by Dilbaz on social media is as follows:

"As the attorney for my client, Mr. Enver Aysever, and upon his knowledge and instruction, the necessity for this statement has arisen.

My client has clearly declared to me that he used the phrase 'I will not shake a thief's hand' regarding Mr. Ekrem İmamoğlu while inside,

And that during the visit, he explicitly and face-to-face said to Mr. Özgür Özel: 'Mr. Chairman, if you occupy the party's sole agenda with defending thieves, I fear that we will be changing places.'

Denying these statements from the podium today is not a debate about a person; it is a matter of truth, testimony, and ethics in politics.

My client emphasizes that he has fought against theft throughout his life, both inside and outside.

Because today, the issue is no longer about individuals or parties; it is a struggle between those who rob their country and those who love it.

According to my client, a thief has no party. Theft is not an ideology, it is a crime. And theft is a clear existential threat to this country.

For this reason, this struggle is not a choice, but a necessity.

The office of the Chairman of the Republican People's Party is Atatürk's legacy. This office cannot be protected by denying the truth, ignoring witnesses, or saying 'it did not happen.'

My client stands behind the words he spoke.

What is being done today is not to refute a person, but to refute the principle of honesty in politics.

Respectfully announced to the public."