Striking lines from the letter Ümit Özdağ wrote from prison: He recounted his experiences in custody
Zafer Party Chairman Ümit Özdağ, who was investigated for 'insulting the President' and arrested on charges of 'inciting the public to hatred and hostility,' sent a letter from prison to Uğur Dündar.
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The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office had launched an investigation into Zafer Party Chairman Ümit Özdağ for the crime of 'insulting the President' due to remarks he made about President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during his party's provincial chairmen consultation meeting on January 19, 2025.
Özdağ, who was taken into custody in Ankara, brought to Istanbul, and referred to the Istanbul Courthouse in Çağlayan, was arrested and sent to Silivri Prison.
Following Özdağ's arrest, a new distribution of duties was carried out within the Zafer Party, and Deputy Chairman Mehmet Ali Şehirlioğlu was elected as Acting Chairman.
LETTER FROM PRISON
Acting Chairman Mehmet Ali Şehirlioğlu, who participated in Uğur Dündar's program, read the letter Ümit Özdağ sent from prison during the live broadcast.
The following statements were included in Özdağ's letter:
"Dear Uğur Dündar, I have been arrested through a setup similar to the ones carried out in the Ergenekon and Balyoz conspiracy cases. I was taken into custody in Ankara on the charge of insulting the President. I was brought to Istanbul at speeds reaching 190 km/h at times. Despite the care and courtesy of my young police brothers, I was forced to spend the night at the Istanbul Police Headquarters on a 30-centimeter-wide bench, following an instruction that appeared to have been given from above. My young police brothers gave me a blanket. I was told we would go to the Çağlayan Courthouse at 10 a.m. However, I was only taken at 1:30 p.m. Because they had realized that I had not committed the crime of insulting the President."
"For this reason, a report was requested from the Kayseri Police Department to create a new file. My referral to the courthouse was delayed until that report arrived. An arrest was made by establishing a connection between the Kayseri events and tweets I posted in 2020, 2021, and 2022, even though none of them were related to the Kayseri events. This is an incredible judicial murder. The goal is to silence Ümit Özdağ and the Zafer Party. They think that when Ümit Özdağ and the Zafer Party are silenced, it will be easier to release Öcalan."