Investigation into CHP district mayor! The reason: Fatih Altaylı

Following the arrest of journalist Fatih Altaylı, Fındıklı Mayor Ercüment Şahin Çervatoğlu stated in a post on the social media platform X: "We are facing a dictatorship that declares war on everyone who is not one of them and has no tolerance for different voices. In Anatolia, they say for tyrants, 'May your tyranny increase so that you may meet your end soon.' We will overcome this darkness."

Following this post, the Rize Pazar Chief Public Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation against Çervatoğlu on the grounds of "insulting the state," in a process that began with allegations of "threatening the President."

Mayor Çervatoğlu gave his statement to the prosecutor's office at the Pazar Regional Courthouse along with his lawyer, Eray Güven. In a statement he made on social media after the testimony, he said, "This state belongs to all of us. We will continue to fight so that it does not belong to just one segment. My post is a social and political critique and falls within the scope of freedom of expression guaranteed by Article 26 of the Constitution."

Stating that the concept of "dictatorship" is a general critique of a political system and is frequently used around the world, Çervatoğlu emphasized that this expression is not an insult directed at individuals, but an abstract characterization of a form of government. He stated that according to the case law of the European Court of Human Rights, politicians, journalists, and public figures can be criticized within a broader framework. Çervatoğlu argued that his post should be evaluated within the scope of freedom of thought.