Investigation launched into İzmir Metropolitan Mayor Tunç Soyer over 'Vahdettin' remarks

A letter sent from the Ministry of Interior's Civil Inspection Board to the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality stated that an investigation has been launched into İzmir Metropolitan Mayor Tunç Soyer on charges of 'publicly inciting hatred and enmity.'

The letter included the following statements:

In accordance with the approval of the Ministry of Interior dated 09/09/2023, the annex to the letter of the General Directorate of Provincial Administration dated 15/09/2023 and numbered E.58852, and the duty order of the Civil Inspection Board dated 06/10/2023 and numbered (35- 7) 14927, due to the duty carried out by our Inspectorate in accordance with the relevant law, approval, and duty order;

"Upon the letter of the İzmir Chief Public Prosecutor's Office dated 30.09.2022, 11.10.2022, and 01.11.2022 with investigation number 2022/129608, and the letters of the İzmir Governorship dated 14.11.2022 and numbered 113050 and dated 16.11.2022 and numbered 113375;

Regarding the allegation that İzmir Metropolitan Mayor Mustafa Tunç SOYER committed the crimes of insulting the memory of a person and publicly inciting hatred and enmity in his speech addressed to the public on 09.09.2022, within the scope of the "September 9 100th Anniversary Program" organized for the 100th anniversary of the liberation of İzmir from enemy occupation, with the words: "Targeting the Ottoman State and its administrators, 100 years ago, those who governed these lands were in a state of negligence, delusion, and even treason." "They never thought of the youth, women, children, or the future; they threw an entire nation into the fire just to protect the sultanate in their palaces, they trampled on our human dignity, our passion for independence, and our right to life, and they surrendered."

I request that a certified copy of the list showing the term of office of İzmir Metropolitan Mayor Mustafa Tunç SOYER, and the camera recording of the speech dated 09/09/2022 mentioned in the allegation, in which İzmir Metropolitan Mayor Mustafa Tunç SOYER spoke on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the liberation of İzmir from enemy occupation, be sent urgently within (5) days to the address of our Inspectorate below, in CD format, with a copy of the recording in writing, and also saved in Word format on a Flash Drive, in accordance with the seventh paragraph of the additional article 24 of the Decree Law No. 375 and article 34/1 of the Ministry of Interior Civil Inspection Board Regulation.