İsmail Arı
Following the arrest of İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu on 19 March, protests were organised in many cities. Hundreds of people were detained, arrested and prosecuted during the protests held at various locations, from universities to city squares. Although approximately seven months have passed since 19 March, new lawsuits continue to be filed against citizens who participated in the protests.
A citizen named Adem Ünlü, a worker who participated in the protests held in the capital on 25 March, shared his photo on his social media account. However, the citizen was reported to the Presidency Communication Centre (CİMER) along with his social media post.
HE SAID “PROVOCATEUR”
Ünlü, 39, whose statement was taken at the Ankara Security Branch Directorate on 22 July, said, “On the specified date, I wanted to participate in the protests held throughout Turkey following the arrest of İstanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. I participated in the protests held in Kızılay Square with a placard I wrote myself that read, “God, I will not listen to you. Either you should not have created me or you should not have created political Islamists”. I had no intention of committing a crime. I was simply exercising my right to protest, as granted to me by the Constitution.”
However, the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office issued an indictment against Ünlü. The indictment stated that Ünlü was reported to CİMER on 27 March 2025 for ‘participating in illegal actions, demonstrations and marches. He acted as a provocateur at these demonstrations on religious and national issues…’ and that the investigation began with this report.
‘HE COVERED HIS FACE’
The indictment requested that Ünlü be punished, stating that ‘It is understood that the suspect committed the crime of participating in meetings and marches by carrying weapons and similar tools or making themselves unrecognisable, as stipulated in Article 33/1-a of Law No. 2911, by participating in the illegal demonstration organised on the day of the incident with his face largely covered to prevent his identity and recognition.’ Ünlü will appear before the judge at the Ankara 43rd Criminal Court of First Instance on 10 February 2026.
Note: This article is translated from the original article titled İhbar ile dava açıldı!, published in BirGün newspaper on October 22, 2025.
