Mansur Yavaş reacts to Suat Toktaş case: 'Who will compensate for those 34 days?'

Ankara Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mansur Yavaş shared a post on his social media account regarding the release of Suat Toktaş, who had been in prison for 34 days in the Halk TV case, which held its first hearing today.

Yavaş stated, "He had been in prison for exactly 34 days. A decision was made for his release. But what about those 34 lost days? Who will compensate for those lost days, the victimization experienced, and the stolen freedom?" Emphasizing that the law should be a guarantee of justice rather than a tool of oppression, Yavaş said, "Freedom is not a favor; it is the most fundamental human right, and trial without detention should be the principle."

ACQUITTAL VERDICT ISSUED

In the case filed after Halk TV broadcast a phone conversation between Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and an expert witness mentioned in some CHP files, an acquittal verdict was issued for Halk TV Editor-in-Chief Suat Toktaş, who was being tried while in detention, as well as journalist Barış Pehlivan, Halk TV Responsible Manager and programmer Serhan Asker, presenter Seda Selek, and Program Coordinator Kürşad Oğuz.

Following the first hearing where all 5 journalists were acquitted in the "expert witness" case against Halk TV, Yavaş shared the following on his social media account:

"When the scales of justice are tipped even once, that error harms not just one person, but the entire society. The presumption of innocence, one of the fundamental principles of law—meaning 'everyone is innocent until proven guilty'—is one of the most basic safeguards that we may all need one day.

An acquittal verdict was issued for Suat Toktaş and four journalists who were being tried while in detention as part of the 'expert witness' investigation launched against Halk TV. However, Suat Toktaş had been in prison for exactly 34 days. A decision was made for his release. But what about those 34 lost days? Who will compensate for those lost days, the victimization experienced, and the stolen freedom?

That is why we always say: The law should be a guarantee of justice, not a tool of oppression. Let us not forget the words of the jurist and philosopher Cesare Beccaria that have echoed for centuries:

'It is better that a thousand guilty persons should escape than that one innocent person should suffer.'

This is the fundamental principle of law. Because freedom is not a favor; it is the most fundamental human right, and trial without detention should be the principle."