Hearing Postponed in Kılıçdaroğlu's Case

While the defendant Kılıçdaroğlu did not attend the hearing at Ankara 11th High Criminal Court, his lawyer was present in the hall.

The chairman of the court panel made a speech to the defendant's lawyer after reading the documents in the case file.

The lawyer stated that his client could not attend the hearing due to his busy political schedule and argued that the elements of the crime charged against his client were not present and that his statements were politically critical.

The public prosecutor, whose opinion was asked, also requested that the missing issues be corrected.

After the statements, the court panel announced its interim decision, accepted the excuse of the defendant Kılıçdaroğlu and ordered him to be present at the next hearing.

The hearing was postponed to 19 November.

FROM THE INDICTMENT

In the complaint petition of MHP Deputy Chairman Feti Yıldız, İzzet Ulvi Yönter and İsmail Faruk Aksu, which were included in the indictment, it was argued that Kılıçdaroğlu praised Selahattin Demirtaş, who was tried at the Istanbul 26th High Criminal Court for "making propaganda for the PKK terrorist organization" and whose prison sentence of 4 years and 8 months was finalized, for the crimes he was proven to have committed.

In his interview with Istanbul University International Relations Club on October 21, 2014, Kılıçdaroğlu said, "YPG is not a terrorist organization for us. YPG is an entity organized to save its own homeland." In the petition he is quoted as saying, "With this statement, Kılıçdaroğlu clearly stated that he sees YPG as independence and freedom fighters." statements were included.

In the complaint petition, it was claimed that Kılıçdaroğlu praised members of FETO and PKK terrorist organizations in his social media posts and speeches between 2016 and 2019.

The indictment also included the defense petition of Kılıçdaroğlu's lawyer Celal Çelik.

In this petition, it was claimed that the statements about Kılıçdaroğlu, which were the subject of the investigation, were in the nature of a political evaluation made within the framework of personal opinion, and therefore a decision was requested that there was no need for prosecution against the suspect.

In the indictment, "It has been understood that the suspect's statements were at a level that was suitable for disrupting public order and that he was in conditions that would create a clear, immediate and concrete danger to the peace and order of the society, and that the crime of praising the crime and the criminal in a chain was formed in terms of its elements." It is requested that Kılıçdaroğlu be punished for "chainly praising the crime and the criminal".