Hadi, Süleyman Özışık dismissed following Soylu’s criminal complaint

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In the wake of a criminal complaint filed by Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu, İnternet Haber news website's founder Hadi Özışık and his brother Süleyman Özışık have been dismissed from media outlets.

This news came amid the allegations that the brothers had mediated between Minister Soylu and Sedat Peker, who is accused of leading a criminal organization. Peker has recently posted the recordings of two video calls between him and Hadi Özışık, who had denied the allegations.

As reported by Medya Koridoru, shortly after Soylu filed a criminal complaint, Hadi Özışık has been dismissed from the program where he was a commentator on tv100. However, speaking to Independent Türkçe, Özışık has refuted the news and said that he will have a break for some time.

Speaking about the issue, Hadi Özışık has said, "An investigation has been launched against me. I called the channel and said that I would like to take a break from the program until the investigation is concluded."

Shortly afterwards, it has been reported that Hadi Özışık will also no longer be a commentator at Habertürk TV news channel.

T24 news website has also reported that Türkiye newspaper has ended Süleyman Özışık's articles as a columnist.

What happened?

Accused of leading a criminal organization and having fled Turkey, Sedat Peker has been posting some videos on his YouTube account for some time now, especially targeting current Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu and former Minister of Interior Mehmet Ağar.

Peker tweeted two videos on the evening of May 18 and shared the recordings of his two video calls with journalist Hadi Özışık from the internethaber news website, who had denied the allegations that he had mediated between Minister Soylu and Sedat Peker.

In sharing the first video, Sedat Peker attached the note, "My dear friends; Hadi - Süleyman Özışık brothers, the owners of the İnternethaber website, have refuted that they mediated between Süleyman Soylu and me; they have said, 'Whoever says it is ignoble.' I don't play tricks on anyone; however, I don't make an exhibition of myself, either."

In sharing the second video, Peker said, "I warn everyone mentioned in my remarks. Don't refute what I say, or I will put everyone to shame. We will stand straight like a man. Otherwise, I will bring them crashing down."

In that second video, Hadi Özışık was seen to be reproaching Sedat Peker for mentioning him on his video dated May 13 and saying that it was not him, but his brother Süleyman Özışık, a columnist for Türkiye newspaper, who went to see Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu.

After these videos were posted, Soylu said that he had not recently met the Hadi and Süleyman Özışık brothers. Afterwards, it was reported in the press that Soylu attended a program on TGRT TV with Süleyman Özışık on September 24, 2020 and they had their pictures taken.

Minister Soylu filed a criminal complaint against Hadi and Süleyman Özışık after Peker shared the recordings of video calls. (HA/SD)