Ankara, Turkey (AP) – A Turkish far-right politician accused of inciting public hatred and hostilities was tried on Wednesday in a case that case critics believe was intended to suppress opposition to the president.
Umit Ozdag, the leader of the Victory Party of Turkey, was detained on charges, insulted President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who commented at a party meeting in Antalya.
One day later, Ozdag was formally arrested and charged with inciting hatred for immigrants. Last year, he was accused of opposing refugee riots in Kayseri, central Turkey, during which hundreds of homes and businesses were attacked.
Prosecutors introduced a series of posts on Ozdag social media as evidence against him. If convicted, he faces up to four years in prison.
Ozdag, a 64-year-old former scholar, is an outspoken critic of Türkiye's refugee policy, has previously called for the repatriation of millions of Syrian refugees.
Ozdag admitted to advocating refugees’ return at the opening hearing of his trial opening ceremony at a prison building in the outskirts of Istanbul. He denied that he had incited violence against them and told the court that he tried to calm down the tensions in Kayeli.
In his defense statement, Ozdag insisted that his imprisonment was politically motivated to silence him about criticism of the government's recent efforts to end criticism with the radical Workers' Party of Kurdistan (PKK).
“I am here… because I criticized the speech with the head of the Workers' DPP terrorist organization,” Ozdag said.
The Victory Party strongly opposes any concessions to Türkiye and the Workers' Party of Kurdish countries in many Western countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union, considering it a terrorist organization. Conflicts with the PKK have resulted in thousands of deaths since the 1980s.
When the trial opened Wednesday, Ozdag's lawyers asked for more time to prepare and adjourn the lawsuit until Tuesday.
The politician's trial was underway in a widespread crackdown on Erdogan's Justice and Development Party opposition.
Officials from municipal authorities controlled by major opposition parties – the Republican People's Party (CHP) face a wave of arrests this year. Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was detained on corruption charges.
According to polls, many in Türkiye believe that these cases are politically driven. However, Erdogan's government insists that the courts are fair and have no political participation.
Imamoglu is widely regarded as the main challenger to Erdogan's two-year rule and is a candidate for CHP's next presidential election. The election will be held in 2028, but it can be held earlier.
