He was the key figure in the İmamoğlu file: Azad Barış has been acquitted of terror charges against him

It has emerged that Azad Barış, General Director of the Spectrum House Thought and Research Center, who was cited as the basis for the arrest of Ekrem İmamoğlu within the scope of the investigation into the İBB, was acquitted in some of the cases where he was portrayed as a member of a terrorist organization, and that in other cases, attempts were made to fabricate evidence by portraying him as a defendant despite him being a witness.

10 CASE FILES AS EVIDENCE

According to the report by Özgür Cebe from Sözcü; 10 separate case files from the Diyarbakır, Erzurum, and Gaziantep High Criminal Courts, as well as Regional Courts of Appeal and the Court of Cassation, were presented as evidence in the Ekrem İmamoğlu investigation. While the phrase “Membership in an armed terrorist organization” appeared in the crime category of the list, it was noted that information regarding the stages and outcomes of these 10 case files was not included in the file. It was determined that Azad Barış had been tried and acquitted in the now-closed Diyarbakır No. 3 State Security Court for the same alleged crime.

Following İmamoğlu's arrest, an arrest warrant was issued for Azad Barış. Azad Barış is still being sought as a fugitive. Had Barış been tried and convicted as a defendant in 10 separate case files, his candidacy for parliament from Diyarbakır in the May 14, 2023, general elections would not have been approved by the Supreme Election Council (YSK). Barış was the 10th parliamentary candidate for the Green Left Party in Diyarbakır in the May 14, 2023, general elections. Azad Barış, who is of Yazidi descent, also holds a doctorate in philosophy.

- In file number 2010-444 at the closed Diyarbakır Special Authorized 6th High Criminal Court, he was a witness, yet it was written that he was "establishing and managing a terrorist organization."

- In file number 2014/235 at the Diyarbakır 2nd High Criminal Court, despite not being a defendant or a witness and having no role as a party in the case, he was accused in this file as well of "establishing and managing an armed terrorist organization."

- In file number 2021/217 of the Diyarbakır 9th High Criminal Court, he was shown as a defendant. He was accused of "being a member of an armed terrorist organization."

- In file 2017/1428 of the Gaziantep Regional Court of Justice 4th Criminal Chamber, information was presented that he had a record as a defendant for "being a member of, establishing, or managing an armed terrorist organization," and this was placed in İmamoğlu's evidence folders and the MASAK report. Barış was not a defendant.

- It was shown that the file with the basis number 2017/1428, which was supposedly at the Court of Cassation, was actually the Court of Cassation 16th Criminal Chamber's file with basis number 2018/7107; however, Barış had no role as a party in this case either, and despite not being a defendant, witness, complainant, victim, or intervening party, it was included as evidence in the file regarding İmamoğlu.

News Source: 12punto