Jailed nationalist party leader Umit Ozdag faces nearly 8 years in prison
Victory Party leader Umit Ozdag reacts (Collage prepared by Türkiye Today team)
An indictment has been filed against nationalist Victory Party leader Umit Ozdag, who is currently detained in Marmara Prison in Silivri.
He is accused of “repeatedly inciting hatred and hostility among the public through the press,” a charge that carries a prison sentence of up to seven years, 10 months, and 15 days.
Charges brought on 77th day of his detention
According to the indictment prepared on the 77th day of Ozdag’s detention, prosecutors are seeking between one year, 10 months, and seven years, 10 months, and 15 days of imprisonment under the charge of “publicly inciting hatred and hostility through press channels in a repetitive manner.”
What happened?
On Jan. 19, Ozdag, chairman of the Victory Party, made a controversial speech during a provincial chairpersons’ consultation meeting held in Antalya.
No crusade in the last thousand years has caused as much damage to the Turkish nation and the Turkish state as Erdogan and the (ruling) AK Party.
Victory Party leader Umit Ozdag
The following day, while dining at a restaurant in Ankara, Ozdag was detained on suspicion of “insulting the president” and was transferred to Istanbul.
Although he was released from custody for the alleged insult, he was subsequently arrested on Jan. 21 under the separate charge of inciting public hatred through the media and sent to Marmara Prison in Silivri, where he remains in custody.
