Turkish prosecutors have filed an indictment against lawyer Burak Sald?ro?lu over a social media post in which he criticized ?stanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Ak?n Gürlek and a judge from the 8th Criminal Court of Peace, the Cumhuriyet daily reported.
The ?stanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office charged Sald?ro?lu 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, Sald?ro?lu wrote: “A ghost is haunting Ça?layan. The 8th Criminal Court of Peace judge, Ak?n Gürlek etc., will see Ekrem ?mamo?lu in the elevator he uses at the courthouse. He will see ?mamo?lu on the pavement he stares at since he is forced to walk with his head down. He will see ?mamo?lu on every wall, in every street, in every person he looks at because #?mamo?luIsEverywhere.”
Prosecutors argued that this language amounted to incitement, while Sald?ro?lu denied the charges, asserting that his comments were protected under freedom of expression and did not constitute a threat.
Sald?ro?lu was arrested on May 10 over a social media post questioning whether Erdo?an was “in his right mind.” 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.
Ak?n 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 ?mamo?lu, widely seen as President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an’s biggest rival in the 2028 general election.
?mamo?lu, 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.
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Turkey: Lawyer indicted for ‘targeting public officials’ in social media post
