* Photo: Anadolu Agency (AA)
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Lawyer Mert Yaşar has been taken into custody over his social media message about Özlem Zengin, the Parliamentary Group Deputy Chair and Tokat MP of the Justice and Development Party (AKP).
Earlier yesterday (February 22), the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office launched an ex officio investigation against lawyer Yaşar on the grounds that he insulted Özlem Zengin on social media.
The Security Branch teams of the İstanbul Security Directorate took the lawyer into custody from his house in Eyüpsultan district in İstanbul. While his house was also searched, Yaşar is reportedly still held in the security directorate as part of related proceedings.
Statement by security directorate
As reported by the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA), the İstanbul Security Directorate has also released a statement about the issue.
In its statement, the security directorate has referred to a message shared from the "mert_yasar" Twitter account, which reads, "If the Presidential cabinet is given the right of first night, will Özlem Zengin close her beak?"
"It has been determined that the person named Mert Y. was using the related Twitter account; the person was caught and detained in his residence in Eyüpsultan with his residence searched," the statement has added.
Ministry launches disciplinary investigation
The Ministry of Justice has also launched a disciplinary investigation against lawyer Mert Yaşar over his message about Özlem Zengin. After the investigation is finalized, the Council of Arbitration will decide whether Yaşar will be expelled as an arbiter or not.
The Ministry has sent an official letter to the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, requesting that the İstanbul Bar Association launch a disciplinary investigation against lawyer Mert Yaşar.
Zengin: All women should unite
Speaking about the issue, Özlem Zengin has called on all women to unite: "As the AK Party Group Deputy Chair and a woman, I am subjected to a systematic attack. This has been going on for nearly two months. All women must united in the face of something like that. We must think more about social media and, perhaps, also work more on it."
What happened?
Lawyer Mert Yaşar mentioned the tweets of AKP Group Deputy Chair Özlem Zengin about the FETÖ, the organization held accountable for the failed coup attempt in Turkey on July 15, 2016. Mentioning one of Zengin's messages, Yaşar wrote, "If the Presidential cabinet is given the right of first night, will Özlem Zengin close her beak?"
Presidential Communications Director Fahrettin Altun made a call to legal bodies and said, "We demand that the independent Turkish judiciary punish this creature named Mert Yaşar in the severest way possible. What will the opposition do in the face of this dishonor? They will, most probably, hide their heads in the sand. We will follow it up."
AKP Spokesperson Ömer Çelik also denounced the social media message about AKP's Zengin on his social media account.
Making a statement on February 22, the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has announced that an ex officio investigation has been launched about the incident. (TP/SD)
