Indictment prepared against retired Colonel Orkun Özeller

An indictment has been filed against retired Colonel Orkun Özeller, who was arrested due to his social media posts, requesting a prison sentence ranging from 2 years and 3 months to 6 years and 6 months on charges of "inciting the public to hatred and hostility" and "insult."

Özeller has been in custody for 23 days and was transferred one week ago from Ordu Efirli Prison to Marmara Prison in Silivri without prior notification to his family or lawyer, where he is currently awaiting trial.

ARRESTED OVER POSTS TARGETING MHP LEADER

Özeller was arrested on charges of "publicly inciting the public to hatred and hostility" following his social media posts targeting MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli. Following his arrest, the indictment prepared against him has been submitted to the court.

PRISON SENTENCE SOUGHT ACCORDING TO INDICTMENT

The prepared indictment requests that Özeller be sentenced to between 2 years and 3 months and 6 years and 6 months in prison. As long as he remains in custody, Özeller will continue to face legal proceedings due to his social media posts.

STATEMENT FROM HIS LAWYER: "A RELEASE DECISION COULD BE MADE"

Retired Colonel Özeller's lawyer, Doğukan Kozan, stated after the indictment that if the court accepts the indictment, it could pave the way for Özeller's release. Kozan said, "The court will decide on the acceptance or rejection of the indictment. If it is accepted, it may be possible for a release decision to be made during the preliminary review. There is no reason that requires him to be tried while in custody. Our hope is for a fair trial."

WHAT HAPPENED

Retired Colonel Orkun Özeller had harshly criticized MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli's statements regarding the PKK terrorist organization's disarmament process on social media. Following this development, Bahçeli's lawyers filed a criminal complaint with the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.

Özeller, for whom a detention warrant was issued, went to the courthouse in Ordu to surrender and was subsequently arrested by the court to which he was referred. Özeller's lawyer also stated that his client had been subjected to numerous threats and insults during this process, but that no action had been taken regarding these complaints.

In his statement to the prosecutor, Özeller asserted that he had fought against terrorism in the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) for 28 years and had held soldiers who were martyred in his arms, arguing that his reaction was directed at the efforts to portray terrorist leader Öcalan as a legitimate political actor. He stated that his posts were within the scope of freedom of expression and did not carry the intent to insult.

News Source: 12punto