Testimony of Orkun Özeller, arrested over posts about Bahçeli, revealed: 'It touched a nerve'

The testimony given to the Istanbul 1st Criminal Judgeship of Peace by retired Colonel Orkun Özeller, who was detained due to his remarks regarding MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli, has been made public.

In his testimony, Özeller stated that he served in the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) for 28 years and asserted that there was no insult or accusatory rhetoric in his posts.

"THE INVITATION OF THE PKK LEADER TO PARLIAMENT TOUCHED A NERVE"

In his statements, Özeller noted that he was deeply affected by the invitation of PKK leader and terrorist Abdullah Öcalan to Parliament and the reference to him as a "founding leader."

"The portrayal of this baby killer as if he were the leader of all our citizens of Kurdish origin, and his being brought into a legitimate sphere, has, as you would agree, touched a nerve and hurt me just like any other child of Turkey," he said, emphasizing that he viewed his posts as a reaction to this situation.

Retired Colonel Özeller stated that the anger he felt toward the terrorist Abdullah Öcalan was reflected in his social media posts. "These developments, as they did for many of our citizens, aroused anger and even hatred in me. Therefore, the posts I made were entirely directed at Abdullah Öcalan and were remarks that disturbed those who sympathize with the terrorist leader, and I believe I was understood in this way," he said.

Özeller argued that his posts were never insulting, accusatory, or directed at individuals, and that they should be evaluated solely within the framework of freedom of expression.

Özeller stated, "There are no insults, accusations, or rhetoric directed at individuals in my posts. My posts are within the scope of freedom of expression."