Journalist Timur Soykan's police statement revealed: He was detained in the evening

Journalist Timur Soykan said the following in his statement to the police:

"The X (Twitter) account with the handle 'Timur Soykan' belongs to me, and the posts made there are made by me. The posts that are the subject of the investigation, which state: 'The regime is declaring that it no longer has any concern about convincing society of corruption operations. It tells the public, "You cannot elect a government other than me. You are my captive." The public will either bow to this pressure and become a slave to the regime, becoming even poorer, or they will defend their freedom, their rights, and their country,' and 'The coup continues. The will of the people is being usurped. The ballot box has no meaning left,' were also made by me.

Regarding these posts; I stand firmly behind my words and criticism in the post that states: 'The regime is declaring that it no longer has any concern about convincing society of corruption operations. It tells the public, "You cannot elect a government other than me. You are my captive." The public will either bow to this pressure and become a slave to the regime, becoming even poorer, or they will defend their freedom, their rights, and their country.'

There is a formation within the judiciary that abuses its duty under political instruction and attempts to suppress the opposition; individuals who act under political instruction and are actually obligated to defend justice for the entire society are abusing their duties. The fact that operations are carried out only against opposition mayors targeted by politicians under the guise of a corruption operation is proof of this and is an obvious fact. Despite this obvious fact known to everyone, my detention on charges of publicly spreading misleading information to the public is no different from a joke.

I reacted to this because, first, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İMAMOĞLU, then numerous CHP mayors, and finally, mayors and bureaucrats from Adana, Adıyaman, Antalya, and some other municipalities, who are also from the CHP, were detained.

I know from the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office statements that these operations were carried out based on the statements of a business person who previously did business with the AKP.

Everyone in Turkey also knows that hundreds of corruption files regarding AKP, i.e., ruling party mayors, have been swept under the rug. Not a single operation has been carried out. However, when it comes to opposition municipalities, the operations have not ceased since March 19. This is a blatant violation of the principle of equality before the law.

The target of these operations, carried out under political instruction, is mayors elected by the votes of the people; therefore, the people's right to vote and be elected is being usurped by the judiciary. Reacting to this is essential for a journalist who stands on the side of democracy. I am not committing a crime here. Those who usurp the people's right to choose those who govern them are the ones committing a crime. All these ideas and criticisms of mine are within the scope of freedom of thought, expression, and the press. I want to give my more detailed statement on this matter at the Prosecutor's Office.

Regarding my post that is the subject of the investigation instruction, which states: 'The coup continues. The will of the people is being usurped. The ballot box has no meaning left,' when I woke up in the morning, I saw that Adıyaman Mayor Abdurrahman Tutdere had been detained, and I made the post in question as a reaction to this. I have been a journalist for 25 years, and I know the damage caused to the country by those who use the law as a tool for their political ambitions and interests. In the past, the AKP and the followers of Fethullah were also usurping our democratic rights by setting up conspiracies; we were fighting against gangs nested in the judiciary and other state institutions back then, we were in detentions and courthouses again, and I know again that those who murder justice for their political future, career, or interests will be tried before independent courts, and we will continue our struggle as journalists for our country to be more just, free, and equitable.

The ideas in this tweet are also within the scope of freedom of the press, expression, and thought, just like this statement of mine. I want to give my more detailed statement to the prosecutor's office."

News Source: 12punto