Mansur Yavaş reacts to Mustafa Bozbey: 'For months, rumors were circulated that he would change parties...'

Bursa Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mustafa Bozbey has been arrested as part of an investigation conducted by the Bursa Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.

Ankara Metropolitan Municipality (ABB) Mayor Mansur Yavaş reacted to Bozbey's arrest.

In a statement on his X account, Yavaş said the following:

“The arrest of our Bursa Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mustafa Bozbey is a decision that has no resonance in the conscience of the public.

For months, rumors were circulated that he would “change parties.”

Today, however, the arrest decision, based on allegations from 7 years ago that have not been acted upon for years, carries no meaning other than appearing as a political operation that undermines legal security.

It is the duty of all of us to respect the will of the voters.

If the people of Bursa had wanted the AK Party, they would have chosen it at the ballot box. But they made their choice in favor of Mustafa Bozbey.

This decision means casting a shadow over the will of the people of Bursa.

We insistently say:

We are not saying do not prosecute; prosecute, but prosecute without arrest. Because the most fundamental principle of law is clear: detention is the exception.

The decisions taken today

cause our country's identity as a state of law to be questioned before world public opinion.

Indeed, Turkey is ranked 118th out of 143 countries in the rule of law index.”

Bursa Büyükşehir Belediye Başkanımız Mustafa Bozbey’in tutuklanması, vicdanlarda karşılığı olmayan bir karardır.

Aylar boyunca “parti değiştirecek” yönünde söylentiler dolaşıma sokuldu.
Bugün ise yıllardır işlem yapılmayan, 7 yıl öncesine dayandırılan iddialar gerekçe…

— Mansur Yavaş (@mansuryavas06) April 4, 2026