Journalist investigated after report on vehicles rented for Erdoğan rally
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The Van Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has opened an investigation against journalist Oktay Candemir, who had reported on cars rented for President Recep Erdoğan's rally in Van in June.
Two and a half million lira (1.37 million US dollars) was paid for the cars rented for two days, according to his report.
The prosecutors opened the investigation after a complaint by Çetin Can, an executive of Erdoğan's justice and Development Party (AKP) in Van, who got the contract for the car rental.
The journalist is under investigation for "slander and insult."
He gave a statement at the Security Directorate yesterday (September 6).
"In Van, there are massive irregularities and corruption in especially the municipalities run by trustees," he later told Mezopotamya Agency (MA).
"They don't want journalists to report these. For this reason, the judiciary is used as a tool of repression. While it is needed to open an investigation regarding corruption in the tender, the journalists who reported it are put on trial. It's not me but those who committed the robbery in the people's municipalities who should stand trial."
The mayor of Van, Bedia Özgökçe Ertan, a member of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) was dismissed in August 2019 and replaced with a government-appointed trustee.
Most HDP mayors have been dismissed because of "terrorism-related" investigations against them since the local elections in March 2019.
What happened?
President Erdoğan held a rally in the eastern province of Van on June 11.
Before the rally, the Van Metropolitan Municipality lodged a tender for a two-day car rental for 2.5 million lira. The tender was lodged under the article 21-B of the Public Procurement Law, which should be put into effect only in case of a natural disaster, epidemic and war.
AKP executive Can Çetin got the contract for the car rental. People from nearby districts and villages were brought to the city center for the rally. (HA/VK)