Mansur Yavaş, who visited Silivri, explained what he talked about with Ekrem İmamoğlu.

ABB President Mansur Yavaş visited Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Mayor and presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu and Adana Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Zeydan Karalar at Silivri (Marmara) Prison. Yavaş spoke to the press and answered questions.

Mansur Yavaş said the following in his statement:

Everyone is anxiously awaiting the legal process. They're currently waiting to see when the indictment will be issued, when they'll be tried. They're working. They're reading books to keep themselves busy, trying to further improve themselves. Their morale is high, that's all I can say.

Mansur Yavaş answered questions

Question: So, yesterday, a decision was made regarding Ahmet Özer. How did Mr. Ekrem react to this decision? How did the other detainees react?

Of course, I didn't ask about Ahmet Özer's file; I followed it myself yesterday. Of the two allegations, one resulted in his release, the other resulted in his continued detention.

I have always said from the very beginning that their detention is completely unnecessary and should be resorted to as an exception.

We must all abide by universal legal principles. Let them be tried. Ultimately, if there is a sentence, they will serve their sentences. But what happens if they are acquitted? There is no way to make amends for their imprisonment, their separation from their families, and their absence from their positions. Furthermore, these are elected officials. The voters have expressed their will and told them to govern. So, they must be allowed to govern. Ultimately, the voters will decide their punishment, but removing them from office through judicial means, of course, creates the impression that these trials and arrests are politically motivated and further undermines trust in the judiciary. None of us have the right to commit this evil act.

Question: There was a call for İmamoğlu's hearings to be broadcast on TRT. Did he say anything about this?

We haven't talked about it, but I've explained it before. We all want it broadcast live so everyone can see the allegations, the defenses, everything.

There needs to be transparency. There's already a situation like this. As you know, hearings are held in public. Secret sessions are only held for very specific matters. It should be held in public anyway.

If a televised hearing is arranged, the entire public will see it publicly. One reason for making it public is this: Yes, justice has been served beautifully, and the prosecution and defense have had their say, and ultimately, a verdict has been reached, and the public should be satisfied with this decision.

I mean, because the verdict is being passed on behalf of the Turkish nation. It's very important for these people to see and know what's happening.

We haven't talked about this, but hopefully, it will be broadcast live.

Question: How long did your meeting with Ekrem Bey last? What was the agenda of your meeting?

We talked with him about the current developments for nearly an hour. We also touched on political developments. We mostly exchanged ideas about what we could do. We mostly talked about what we could do next.

Source: News Center