It’s published update
The far-right Turkish politician, accused of inciting public hatred and hostility in critics’ views in an effort to suppress opposition to the president, was brought to trial on Wednesday.
Yumidoda, the leader of the Victory Party, was detained over accusations of humiliating President Receptacle Erdogan at a party meeting in Antarya in January.
Özdağ was then formally arrested and charged with inciting hatred against immigrants.
He was accused of anti-Syrian refugee riots in Türkiye’s central Kayseri province last year, during which hundreds of homes and businesses were attacked.
Prosecutors presented a series of posts from Ozda’s social media as evidence against him. If convicted, he will face up to four years in prison.
Meanwhile, the Silibri court ruled on June 17 that Özdağ should continue to be held until the next hearing.
Özdağ, a 64-year-old former scholar, is an outspoken critic of Turkish refugee policy, previously sought the repatriation of millions of Syrian refugees.
Ozda has granted the refugee’s claim to return at the opening hearing of his trial at a prison complex outside Istanbul.
He denied inciting violence against them and told the court that he worked to ease the tensions in Kayseri.
In his defense statement, Ozda argued that his imprisonment was politically motivated and intended to silence him for his criticism of the government’s recent efforts to end decades-long conflict with the extremist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
“The reason I’m here… because I criticized the consultation with the chief of the PKK terrorist organisation,” Özdağ said.
The Victory Party is strongly opposed to the concessions against the PKK where Turkey has taken into consideration by many western provinces, including the European Union, the UK and the US.
The conflict with the PKK has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths since the 1980s.
When the trial began on Wednesday, Özdağ’s lawyers demanded more time for preparation, and the lawsuit was postponed until next Tuesday.
Opposition’s accusations of crackdown
The trial of politicians lies in widespread oppression of Erdogan’s justice and development or opposition to the AK party.
The Republican People’s Party (CHP), a municipal official controlled by major opposition parties, is facing a wave of arrests this year.
Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamolu was taken into custody in March over allegations of corruption.
Imamol was scheduled to face accusations Thursday morning of trying to influence the witness and intervene in the trial, but neither he nor his lawyer attended the session.
The court has rescheduled the September 26th trial date.
Polls show that many people in Türkiye believe these cases are politically motivated.
However, the Erdogan government argues that the courts are fair and free from political involvement.
Imamol is widely seen as the main challenger of Erdogan’s two-year rule and is the CHP candidate for the upcoming presidential election.
The election is scheduled for 2028, but can be held early.
