Yesterday (September 1) marked the beginning of Turkey’s new judicial year. An opening ceremony attended by journalists also featured Istanbul Chief Prosecutor Akın Gürlek, a controversial and high-profile figure in Turkey’s judiciary in recent months.
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| Turkey stars judicial year with speech from controversial prosecutor Turkey stars judicial year with speech from controversial prosecutor |
Gürlek, widely seen by critics as close to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), has ordered the detention of numerous opposition figures in recent months. Additionally, multiple investigations have been opened into main Turkish opposition leader Özgür Özel and into imprisoned Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu for allegedly threatening comments made towards Gürlek.
Gürlek comments on Istanbul investigation
In comments made at Monday’s ceremony, Gürlek described the ongoing investigation into alleged corruption at the opposition-controlled Istanbul municipality as “The biggest corruption file in 100 years.”
One comment in particular made by Gürlek Monday raised eyebrows, when the Istanbul Chief Prosecutor said:
“We don’t detain anyone based solely on witness testimony. We don’t arrest anyone without providing evidence. If there is someone like that, just tell us and we’ll release them the next day.”
While chief prosecutors in Turkey have the authority to issue arrest warrants for suspects, they do not possess the authority to free detainees, which lies with the courts. Following his comments, Gürlek was criticized for having suggested collusion between the prosecutor’s office and the courts.
Gürlek sues CHP Youth Wing leader
Yesterday, Gürlek also opened a lawsuit against Cem Aydın, head of the youth wing of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP).
Gürlek has requested 100,000 Turkish Liras in compensation after Aydın posted a video on social media allegedly targeting the Istanbul Chief Prosecutor. The video in question features comments from CHP head Özgür Özel comparing Akın Gürlek to Zekeriya Öz, a prosecutor currently living in exile in Germany allegedly associated with the banned Gülen movement (FETÖ).
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The Gülen movement, led by the late Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen, has been accused of orchestrating Turkey’s failed coup d’etat attempt in July 2016. Zekeriya Öz served as a prosecutor in 2013’s controversial corruption trials targeting officials linked to Erdoğan’s AKP. The trials have been cited as a key breaking point in the schism between the AKP and Gülenists, who had formerly been allies.
Özel’s comments in the video posted by Aydın suggest Gürlek has been pursuing the AKP’s rivals in politically-motivated investigations echoing 2013’s corruption investigations targeting AKP officials. At the time, then-Prime Minister Erdoğan described the 2013 investigations as a ‘judicial coup’.
In January, Aydın was briefly arrested and his home was raided by authorities, which was criticized at the time by Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. İmamoğlu’s comments on the matter, which took place roughly two months before his March 19th arrest, resulted in the opening of one of six currently active cases against the imprisoned Istanbul mayor.
Written/translated for Medyascope by Leo Kendrick
