Fine for Ümit Özdağ in Sheikh Said case

Within the scope of the case heard in the Hınıs district of Erzurum, Victory Party Chairman Ümit Özdağ was tried for the crime of "insulting the memory of a person" due to his statements about Sheikh Said on social media. In the decision rendered by the Hınıs Criminal Court of First Instance, Özdağ was fined 8 thousand 700 TL, and the announcement of the verdict was deferred.

Speaking to the press in front of the courthouse after the hearing, Özdağ stated that they did not accept the penalty. In his statement, Özdağ said the following:

"The court announced its decision a short while ago. It imposed a fine for insulting the memory of Sheikh Said and deferred the announcement of the verdict for five years. Of course, this is not an acceptable penalty. Why? Because it accepts that Sheikh Said has a memory that can be insulted, which we do not accept.

This is not essentially a penalty given to me; it is a penalty given to the Republic of Turkey. It is a penalty given to the Turkish Armed Forces, to our forces that fought against terrorism and suppressed the uprising, and unfortunately, it is not right. Therefore, we will continue our legal struggle, and our lawyers will file our appeal against this penalty to the higher court, the appellate court, in the coming days.

The issue here is not a matter of insult between a person and Ümit Özdağ, nor is it a matter of insult between members of a family and Ümit Özdağ. What is at stake here is the stance that I and my party have taken against an uprising against the Republic. We are determined to maintain this stance with today's clarity. We will continue to do so from now on. We evaluate Sheikh Said in the place where he belongs in history, and we will continue to evaluate him there."

During his remarks, when asked the question "Do you see this case as a political case?", Özdağ replied, "Of course, this is a political case."