One of the prosecutors overseeing the case against Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu has come under fire after CHP Chair Özgür Özel revealed that the prosecutor displays a model of a Beyaz Toros—a car widely associated with disappearances and state violence in the 1990s.
İmamoğlu, who has been held at Silivri Prison since his March 19 arrest, recounted the incident during an interview with journalist Ruşen Çakır of Medyascope as he visited the Istanbul Mayor in prison. İmamoğlu said the prosecutor, who took his testimony following the sweeping police operation, placed a symbolic image of the white Renault Toros on his desk and ended the interrogation by saying: “Tomorrow you become president, then you judge us.”
“No prosecutor in a democratic country should say such a thing,” İmamoğlu said. “The presence of that image, and those words, shows how far the normalization of injustice has gone.”
The Beyaz Toros (White Toros), a white Renault model used by security forces during the height of Turkey’s conflict with the PKK, has come to symbolize the extrajudicial killings and abductions of the 1990s. Its reemergence—this time in a courtroom—has triggered backlash from the CHP.
Although an investigation was launched, Özel continued to target the prosecutor—without naming him—alleging that he had graduated from a now-shuttered school linked to the Gülenist movement. He also accused Istanbul Chief Prosecutor Akın Gürlek of issuing veiled threats through intermediaries. “He’s hiding behind the state. But this is not justice—this is intimidation,” Özel said.
Calling for judicial impartiality, Özel warned that without confronting what he called “today’s Toros mentality,” efforts toward Kurdish democratization and national reconciliation would be hollow. “This commission cannot function if a prosecutor with a Beyaz Toros on his desk is left unchecked,” he said.
While the government has not publicly addressed the allegations, a lawyer who criticized the prosecutor’s conduct online was placed under house arrest, raising further concerns over judicial independence and freedom of expression.
CHP FILES COMPLAINT
CHP also filed a formal complaint with the Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK) against Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akın Gürlek and two prosecutors involved in the investigation into the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.
In a statement, the CHP argued that since October 30, 2024, the investigations have become systematic—violating not only individual rights and freedoms but also the core principles of a democratic state governed by the rule of law.
The complaint also addressed the Toros controversy. The CHP said the use of such a symbol by an active prosecutor violated judicial impartiality and the principles of a rights-based legal order. “For families of the disappeared, torture survivors, and human rights defenders, this post is both provocative and malicious,” the party said.
The CHP’s petition stated that the prosecutors acted in open defiance of the rule of law, violating universal human rights such as the presumption of innocence, the right to a fair trial, and the right to defense. It said the legal actions targeting opposition figures and elected mayors were not only personal injustices but also direct interventions in the people’s political will.
‘JULY 26 MARKS START OF TURKEY’S RECONSTRUCTION PROCESS’
CHP MP and Presidential Campaign Office Executive Board Member Bülent Tezcan said the office to be inaugurated in Ankara on July 26 would mark the beginning of a comprehensive reconstruction process in Turkey, spanning from justice to the economy.
Speaking to BirGün, Tezcan said the CHP’s Presidential Campaign Office, located in the former Party School building on Üsküp Avenue, would officially launch operations on July 26. He emphasized that the office would not merely manage a campaign for İmamoğlu but lead a broader effort to restructure Turkey’s institutions and policies.
Starting in August, CHP’s Party Assembly members, High Disciplinary Board members, and MPs will engage with voters and civil society across all 81 provinces. “We will incorporate the feedback we receive from the field into our policy work,” he said.
According to Tezcan, the campaign’s core message—“For everyone, everywhere: justice first, freedom first”—will be promoted through rallies and social media.
WITNESS BEHIND CHP MAYORS’ ARRESTS GRANTED DEBT PROTECTION
Aziz İhsan Aktaş, whose statements led to the arrest of six CHP-affiliated mayors, has secured court-approved bankruptcy protection for his oil transportation firm, İçkale Taşımacılık.
A commercial court granted a one-year definitive concordat period to İçkale Taşımacılık, which owns three ships transporting petroleum and petroleum products. The company reportedly owes 2.3 billion Turkish lira.
In a separate ruling, Aktaş was granted a two-month extension for his other company, Elif LPG, which has outstanding debts of 1.5 billion lira.
According to reporting by Dinçer Gökçe of Halk TV, a critical decision in the concordat case of İçkale Sosyal Hizmetler Taşımacılık, another company owned by Aktaş with a capital of 2 billion lira, was issued on July 11.
Meanwhile, 65 people have been arrested during the operation launched into İzmir Municipality. Around 50 people, including former İZBETON General Manager Heval Savaş Kaya, have been released under judicial control as part of the ongoing investigation into alleged rigging of public tenders involving İzmir Metropolitan Municipality and its affiliates.
