Mehmet Kale Kişi, Secretary General of the Republican Turkish Party (CTP), issued a statement on Monday regarding a court verdict announced earlier in the day and an attack carried out against journalists during the trial process. Kişi described the case as one of the symbol trials against what his party has long referred to as the "corrupt order."
Kişi stressed that the verdict was significant not only in terms of the charges involved, but also because it resulted in the conviction of an individual whose name had been at the center of public debate for the past five years. He strongly condemned the attack on journalists who had followed the case closely despite facing various pressures.
Expressing that targeting journalist Pınar Barut and other media workers committed to informing the public was unacceptable, Kişi underlined that a free press is an indispensable part of the struggle for democratic governance. "Standing by journalists against those who are disturbed by the truth means defending not just the press, but the public's right to information. We must protect a free press as if our lives depend on it," he said.
Kişi extended his well wishes to Pınar Barut and all journalists who were targeted, reaffirming the party's opposition to any form of pressure or violence against the media. He also expressed confidence that police would act with due diligence to identify the perpetrators and advance the investigation swiftly.
Closing his statement with a firm warning, Kişi declared, "This is just the beginning!" He added that holding the corrupt order to account would be one of the defining priorities of the new era, and that "far more striking defendants and subjects" would be brought before the courts in the days ahead.
