Interim ruling in the Adnan Oktar criminal organization case

The trial of the 72 defendants in the case against the armed criminal organization led by Adnan Oktar, who is currently imprisoned, continued.

Six defendants who are being tried without arrest and defense attorneys were present at the hearing held at the Istanbul 1st High Criminal Court. Adnan Oktar, who is in custody, did not attend the hearing.

During the hearing, some defense attorneys, including Adnan Oktar's lawyer, requested that their clients be connected to the court via the Audio and Video Information System (SEGBİS). The court rejected this request on the grounds that it was practically impossible to take the statements of all defendants, victims, and witnesses simultaneously.

''MR. ADNAN IS A PERSON OF LOVE, HE HAS HELD US IN HIGH REGARD''

Testifying at the hearing, defendant Seda Nur Şimşeker, who is being tried without arrest, denied all accusations against her and stated the following:

''I am a lawyer; we do not have any organization houses. We rented that house ourselves with our own means and money. Mr. Adnan is a person of love; he has treated us very well and held us in high regard. I am not a member of an organization; I am a legal professional. I stand before you with a clear conscience. No one believes in the existence of an Adnan Oktar criminal organization.

Everyone is talking about how young Mr. Adnan is, the women's love for Mr. Adnan, and what he wears in court; these are the things being discussed. God has the attribute of sovereignty; it is God who will make the final decision.''

Defense attorneys stated that they did not accept the points raised against their clients and requested their acquittal. The Public Prosecutor, whose opinion was sought during the hearing, requested that the deficiencies in the case file be addressed.

ADNAN OKTAR TO BE BROUGHT TO COURT

Announcing its interim ruling, the court ordered that a writ be sent to the prison to ensure that some defendants, including Adnan Oktar, are present in the courtroom for the next hearing, and adjourned the trial after ruling for the completion of missing items.

FROM THE INDICTMENT

In the indictment prepared by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, it was noted that suspect Ali Sadun Engin used the nickname "Sado" within the organization, acted as a bridge between the organization and the USA and Israel, and served as a speaker at conferences held in Israel that were organized by the organization under the instructions of the organization's leader, Adnan Oktar. The indictment also recorded that Altuğ Revnak Eti, who wished to benefit from effective remorse provisions, described defendant Engin's connections with Yehuda Glick, a former radical rabbi and member of the Israeli Likud Party; that Çalıkoğlu, who was tasked by Adnan Oktar with hiding the money coming into the organization, was part of a group within the organization called the "Imam Brothers"; and that a group of organization members, including Oktar, filed a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) regarding allegations of torture they suffered when they were detained in 1999, and transferred the compensation they won to the organization under the name of "infak" (charity). The indictment demands that 13 defendants, including Adnan Oktar, Ulviye Didem Ürer, Tarkan Yavaş, and Alev Babuna, be sentenced to prison terms ranging from 1,938 years and 5 months to 2,758 years and 6 months each for multiple counts of "qualified sexual assault," "child sexual abuse," "sexual harassment," "simple sexual assault," "qualified fraud," and "laundering assets derived from crime" against numerous individuals. Prison sentences in varying proportions were also requested for the other 59 suspects.