Özgür Çelik's statement: 'The government could only keep up its legal charade for 4 months': We are not just arresting CHP mayors

In a statement on his social media account, Özgür Çelik argued that the government's claim that "we are not just arresting CHP mayors" does not reflect the truth. Çelik emphasized that an indictment for a mayor from the ruling party was prepared and he was released in a short time, whereas CHP mayors have been kept in prison for months without indictments.

The statement by CHP Istanbul Provincial Chair Özgür Çelik is as follows:

The government could only keep up the legal charade it played by saying, "We are not just arresting CHP mayors," for 4 months.

Ahmet Sungur, the Mayor of the ruling party's Yahşihan Municipality, was arrested on September 23. His indictment was prepared within 2 months, the trial began, and 4 months later, he was released with judicial control conditions at the first hearing, along with 5 other people arrested with him.

Among our mayors, there are those who are still being held in prison without even an indictment.

Our Büyükçekmece Mayor Hasan Akgün has been detained for 8 months and still has no indictment.

Hakan Bahçetepe was arrested on June 3, 2025. As of today, he has been in prison for exactly 8 months and there is still no indictment prepared against him.

Our Şile Mayor Özgür Kabadayı has been detained for 6.5 months and still has no indictment.

In the 'Aziz İhsan Aktaş Criminal Organization' case, our Avcılar Mayor Utku Caner Çaykara has been detained for 8 months, while the leader of the criminal organization, who is being tried for 700 years, is walking free.

Our Beyoğlu Mayor İnan Güney, who has been detained for 6 months on charges of being a 'member of a criminal organization,' is still waiting for an indictment without knowing exactly what he is being accused of.

Our Bayrampaşa Mayor Hasan Mutlu, whose detention has reached 4.5 months, still has no indictment.

The indictment against our presidential candidate and IMM Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, whose detention is reaching its 11th month, could only be written after 7.5 months.

The detention of our Beşiktaş Mayor Rıza Akpolat has exceeded 1 year, and we waited 10 months just to see his indictment.

Our Şişli Mayor is not in the indictment of the "City Consensus" case, in which he has been tried while detained for 11 months.

Our Beylikdüzü Mayor Mehmet Murat Çalık, who has serious health problems, has been detained for 11 months.

Likewise, our Antalya Metropolitan Mayor Muhittin Böcek has been detained for 7 months despite suffering from major health problems.

Our Adana Metropolitan Mayor Zeydan Karalar continues to be held in Silivri Prison, hundreds of kilometers away from Adana.

The detentions of our Seyhan Mayor Oya Tekin and Ceyhan Mayor Kadir Aydar have reached 9 months.

Our Beykoz Mayor Alaattin Köseler was released after being detained for 6 months and was re-arrested 1 day later; he has been detained for a total of 11 months.

For months, we have been fighting in courthouses and courtrooms against the conspiracy set up against the will of our people.

We are waging a struggle for the republic and democracy against a minority government's desire for a Turkey without an opposition.

In the first election to be held, our people will give the clearest answer to this conspiracy against their will at the ballot box.

We will definitely change this order of oppression; justice and freedom will prevail.

We will win.