Hüseyin Aygün, a lawyer and former member of the 24th Parliament of Turkey, has been sentenced to prison in a trial concerning social media posts he made following the detention of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu on March 19, 2025.
In the case heard at the Ankara 7th Criminal Court of First Instance, Aygün was sentenced to 7 months and 15 days in prison for "publicly inciting to commit a crime."
Aygün’s lawyer, Ertuğrul Cem Cihan, attended the hearing. In his final defense, Cihan stated that it was normal for his client to express his views on social events, arguing that the statements in question should be evaluated within the scope of criticism.
The defense argued that the use of an ironic tone in criticism does not, by itself, constitute the crime of "publicly inciting to commit a crime." Cihan requested an acquittal, stating that the judiciary should be open to criticism.
Following the verdict, Aygün stated, "I was sentenced to 7 months and 15 days in prison due to my posts, which were in the nature of a statement of support for Ekrem İmamoğlu and his colleagues who were detained on March 19."
In his statement, Aygün further expressed that "no regime of oppression or tyranny has ever survived in history through imprisonment and arrests."
News Source: 12punto
