Turkish prosecutors have filed an indictment against lawyer Burak Saldıroğlu over a social media post in which he criticized İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akın Gürlek and a judge from the 8th Criminal Court of Peace, the Cumhuriyet daily reported.
The İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office charged Saldıroğlu under the provision of “targeting public officials involved in counterterrorism efforts,” claiming that his remarks in a May 8 post on X made Gürlek and the judge potential targets for terrorist organizations.
In the tweet, Saldıroğlu wrote: “A ghost is haunting Çağlayan. The 8th Criminal Court of Peace judge, Akın Gürlek etc., will see Ekrem İmamoğlu in the elevator he uses at the courthouse. He will see İmamoğlu on the pavement he stares at since he is forced to walk with his head down. He will see İmamoğlu on every wall, in every street, in every person he looks at because #İmamoğluIsEverywhere.”
Prosecutors argued that this language amounted to incitement, while Saldıroğlu denied the charges, asserting that his comments were protected under freedom of expression and did not constitute a threat.
Saldıroğlu was arrested on May 10 over a social media post questioning whether President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was “in his right mind” when he allowed a 92-year-old man to kiss his hand, a show of respect in Turkey. He was indicted for “repeatedly insulting the president” under Article 299 of Turkish Penal Code. After spending 48 days in detention, he was released on June 27 under judicial supervision. The first hearing in the case was held on September 11, with the next hearing scheduled for October 30.
Akın Gürlek, appointed chief prosecutor in 2023, has become a symbol of politicized justice in Turkey. As a judge he presided over numerous high-profile cases targeting opposition politicians, journalists and civil society leaders, including the controversial ruling that upheld a political ban on Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, widely seen as President Erdoğan’s biggest rival in the 2028 general election.
İmamoğlu, one of the prominent figures of the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), was detained on March 19 and later arrested on corruption charges that rights groups and international observers have denounced as politically motivated. His arrest triggered mass protests across Turkey, described as the largest wave of civil unrest since the Gezi Park protests in 2013.
CHP leader Özgür Özel was also accused of targeting public officials after referring to Gürlek as “the executioner and mobile guillotine of the palace” during a parliamentary speech in November 2024.
The main opposition CHP has been under mounting government pressure since October 2024. The pressure on the CHP and its municipalities has intensified since the arrest of İmamoğlu in March on charges of corruption.
More than 500 people linked to the party or the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality have been detained or arrested on a range of charges, from terrorism to bid rigging, in what critics say is a systematic crackdown. Among those arrested are 17 CHP mayors, including İmamoğlu, who was also suspended from office.
Critics say the sweeping probes are aimed at weakening the opposition and consolidating power ahead of a potential snap election and preventing the presidential candidacy of İmamoğlu.
