The YENİ Party has announced that it has made the book titled “The Nation is My Witness” by imprisoned Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, as well as the full text of the defense he prepared for the İBB case, accessible to the public.
In a statement released on the party’s social media account, it was argued that İmamoğlu was prevented from presenting his defense in court and that a ban was subsequently placed on the work in which he compiled his defense. The statement included the phrase, “But they could not stand in the way of the truth.”
They first prevented Ekrem İmamoğlu, who became a presidential candidate with the votes of our 15.5 million citizens, from presenting his defense in court, and then they imposed a ban on the defense book prepared under the title “The Nation is My Witness.” But they could not stand in the way of the truth.
The statement noted that the book and the defense texts were being presented to the public, adding, “The nation is our witness. Justice will be served sooner or later.” The post included two separate links for downloading the book and reading the full text of the defense.
Following İmamoğlu’s compilation of his defense for the İBB case into a book, the Istanbul 4th Criminal Judgeship of Peace had decided on August 27, 2026, to seize printed and currently printing copies of the work, and to ban its distribution and sale.
Following the decision, YENİ Party Chairman Özgür Özel had reacted to the practice, stating that İmamoğlu was being prevented from delivering his defense to the public. İmamoğlu also criticized the actions taken against his book during his defense in the İBB case, which began on October 14, stating that his right to defense had been restricted.
With the final announcement made after the four-day defense, the book “The Nation is My Witness” and the full texts of the defense presented in court have been shared with the public.
News Source: 12punto
