US representative of main opposition CHP released shortly after detention in Turkey

Duvar English

The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) U.S. representative Yurter Özcan on Oct. 25 announced that the police detained him at 2 a.m. in local time at a hotel in the Turkish capital Ankara. Özcan said he was released shortly after his detention.

Özcan stated that police detained him because pro-government journalist Nedim Şener filed a lawsuit against him over the alleged charge of “insulting.”

“I was detained at the hotel I stayed in Ankara at 2 a.m. last night. After they notified me (about the hearing of the lawsuit launched against him) at the police station, I was released. I will testify at the Ankara Courthouse today,” Özcan said in a tweet. 

“Nedim Şener filed a defamation lawsuit against me. In the normal process, if I do not attend the hearing, an arrest warrant would be issued. However, an arrest warrant was issued last night in violation of the law and procedure, and officers were abnormally assigned to this issue. The decision to take me into custody at the hotel at 2 am is nothing but an assassination of reputation, while it is possible to notify me in any other way,” he added.

Later in the day, Özcan said that he gave his testimony in the Ankara Courthouse.