Families of March 19 Civil Coup Victims Hold First Gathering in Saraçhane

Following the March 19 civil coup, close colleagues of CHP’s presidential candidate and elected Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, along with the families of political prisoners, came together to establish the Family Solidarity Network. The first gathering, held in Saraçhane Park, was organized to speak to the public conscience, demand fairness and urgency in judicial processes, and defend the rights of detainees and their families.

The event was also attended by CHP Vice Chair Suat Özçağdaş, IMM Deputy Mayor Nuri Aslan, CHP Istanbul Provincial Chair Özgür Çelik, as well as members of parliament and district mayors, all expressing their solidarity with the families of the imprisoned.

Bringing together relatives of detainees stripped of their freedom, the first meeting featured speeches by Dr. Dilek Kaya İmamoğlu, civil society advocate and wife of IMM Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, and Attorney Seraf Özer, daughter of elected Esenyurt Mayor Prof. Dr. Ahmet Özer. Together, they publicly denounced the injustices, human rights violations, and procedural failures seen in these ongoing legal cases.

Dr. İmamoğlu emphasized that the arrests have become punitive tools, with families of detainees being directly targeted. “It’s been over four months since March 19. Still no indictment has been issued, and we have no idea when it will be. People who may be acquitted at their first hearing are being unjustly held behind bars for months. Who will pay the price for this time stolen from them? In this country, memory may be short—but pain is lasting.”

She described how authorities even deny a mother the chance to see her critically ill child through a hospital window. “Women detainees are separated from their children, sleeping on the floor. Fathers can only imagine watching their children grow up. The sick are neglected. The elderly are left helpless. And every day, we choke on our words as we struggle to answer a child asking, ‘Where is my mother? Where is my father?’ This cry does not just belong to a mother, a father, or a child—it echoes in the conscience of our entire society.”

Attorney Seraf Özer, representing the Families Solidarity Network, delivered a joint statement highlighting the collapse of legal norms in the second century of the Turkish Republic:

“According to data from the Supreme Election Council, the total number of registered voters in the March 31, 2024 local elections was 61,441,882. Of these, 28.26% live in districts where elected mayors have been suspended from office. What does this mean? That 28.26% of the electorate has had its will imprisoned—alongside the mayors they voted for. This means the will of nearly one in every three voters is being erased.”

“As both witnesses and victims of the injustices inflicted on our loved ones, we assert that these prosecutions are not criminal investigations, but political purges. We strongly object to this and issue an urgent call: Return to the rule of law.”

“Presumption of innocence and the right to avoid stigmatization have been gravely violated. Not only are our loved ones held as political prisoners, but we, their families, are being punished as well.”

“The required standards for arrest—‘strong suspicion of a crime’ and ‘concrete evidence’—have been reduced to empty words. The Code of Criminal Procedure has been disregarded. The constitutional requirement for a ‘reasoned decision’ under Article 141 is being ignored in continued detention rulings, violating legal security.”

“The detainees whose rights you trample on—our mothers, fathers, grandparents, children, spouses, relatives—are our loved ones. Do not torture them. Do not endanger their health. Do not turn a deaf ear to the cries of their families.”

İmamoğlu: “We Were Raised to Believe You Never Harm a Family”

Emphasizing that no one can take the place of a mother, a father, a spouse, a sibling, or a child, Dr. Dilek Kaya İmamoğlu stated, “Every day, we live with the absence of someone from our family.” She continued:

“But this longing is not just for our loved ones—it is also a longing for justice and democracy. Because we know very well: when justice is restored, we will be reunited with our loved ones.

Today we’ve reached a point where legal proceedings do not target individuals alone, but entire families. These operations reach all the way to mothers, fathers, and siblings. Yet we were raised to believe that family is sacred, that no one lays a hand on a family. Family is our most cherished value.”

“Even Allowing a Mother to See Her Gravely Ill Child from a Hospital Window Is Deemed Too Much”

“Today, children are left without fathers, mothers are separated from their children, spouses are kept apart from their loved ones. Detainees are sent to prisons far from their families. Even allowing a mother to see her critically ill child from a hospital window is deemed too much. Women detainees sleep on the floor, separated from their children. Fathers can only dream of seeing their children born or watching them grow up. The sick are neglected, the elderly are left helpless. And every day, we choke on our words, unable to answer a child who asks, ‘Where is my mom? Where is my dad?’

This cry does not belong to just one mother, father, or child—it echoes in the conscience of our entire society.”

“We Are Here to Speak for Those Who Cannot Speak”

“That is why we’ve come together—not only to tell our own stories, but to share the stories of everyone. To seek justice not only in courtrooms, but also in the conscience of the public.

To give voice to the silenced, to those who’ve been locked away. We set out on this path as honorable citizens of this country, trusting in the will of the people and the conscience of society.

We are here to amplify the voices of all those seeking justice—to speak not just for those who can speak, but also for those who cannot. The injustice we face today is not just our problem—it is the problem of everyone in this country who believes in justice.”

“Still No Indictment, No Timeline for Justice”

“It’s been over four months since March 19. Still, no indictment. No indication of when one might be issued. People who might be acquitted at their very first hearing are being held in prison for months.

Who will pay the price for this lost time? In this country, memory is short—but pain is lasting.

Especially in the past 20 years, so many rights violations have occurred. What we’re living through now has taken its place in that painful history.

Our struggle is not only to heal this pain, but to ensure that no one else suffers it again. So that no child’s childhood is taken away, so that femicides do not go unpunished, so that workers don’t die due to neglect, so that we no longer see preventable deaths in earthquakes, floods, or fires.

This vigil exists so that justice is delivered without delay.”

“We Cannot Remain Silent in the Face of This Lawlessness”

“Our voice grows stronger through solidarity. Every story we share is so that such stories are never repeated. Because we know: our story is shared. Our struggle is shared. Our future is shared. We cannot remain silent in the face of this unlawful process.

For the future of our country, our nation, and our children, we will persist in demanding justice, democracy, and a secure future for all. As the Families Solidarity Network, we stand shoulder to shoulder, becoming a source of strength and healing for each other.

These gatherings, which we hold for the first time today and will continue at the same place and time, are not merely acts of protest—they are spaces of solidarity and healing.

A common roof under which all those facing injustice can unite.”

“We Want to Multiply Our Testimonies, Reach the Unhearing, Remind the Forgetful”

“As members of this large family, we know that we are strong together. And we are never alone. Every story told in this square belongs not to one person alone… It belongs to all those who are wrongfully imprisoned and to those who refuse to remain silent in the face of injustice. Today, we gather not just to speak—but to bear witness. We want to multiply our testimonies, reach those who have not heard, and remind those who have forgotten.”

Letter From a Prisoner’s Child: “Justice May Walk With a Limp, But It Eventually Reaches Its Destination”

At the end of her speech, Dr. İmamoğlu read a deeply emotional letter from the child of a detainee:

“To many, the past few months may seem like nothing out of the ordinary—but for me, life has been on hold for four months.

I’ve been separated from my mother for four months… I’ve only been able to hug the person who means the world to me six times.

And not when I missed her or needed her—but only when permission was granted.

What could be more painful than a child having to wait for an appointed date just to hug their mother? While I’m outside suffering this pain, I can’t even imagine what she must feel behind those four walls—especially when she has done nothing wrong.

I carry within me a world of emotions, painful memories I could talk about for days.

Until now, I thought the worst thing was being unable to speak my truth. But being in a place where words fail is even worse—I understand that now.

And so, when words fail me, all I can say is: I miss my mom so much.

I want to end with the lines I always repeat to myself:

‘Justice may walk with a limp, but it eventually reaches its destination.’

May it reach every door…”

The current situation is not limited to our mayors alone. Deputy mayors, assistant secretaries general, department heads, company general managers and deputies, civil servants, bureaucrats, and municipal staff—people who have served their country with dedication and merit—have become the main victims of this process, targeted in successive pre-dawn raids, torn from their families, and deprived of their freedom.

On March 18, 2025, the diploma of Ekrem İmamoğlu—Mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and presidential candidate of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), elected with the votes of 15.5 million citizens—was annulled by a university administration lacking the legal authority to do so.

Less than 12 hours after this unlawful decision, hastened by official letters from the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office to the university administration, a massive judicial operation was launched on March 19. Hundreds of individuals—including mayors, municipal council members, bureaucrats, and businesspeople—were detained and arrested in waves. During these operations, fundamental principles of law were blatantly violated.

As of today, in 13 provinces with a combined population of over 25 million, the votes of 17,363,049 citizens who elected 27 mayors—17 of whom are from CHP—have been rendered null and void.

According to data from the Supreme Election Council, the total number of registered voters in the March 31, 2024 local elections was 61,441,882. The total electorate in areas governed by the suspended mayors corresponds to 28.26% of that national figure.

What does this mean?

28.26% OF THE ELECTORATE HAS BEEN IMPRISONED ALONG WITH THEIR ELECTED MAYORS.

This means that the will of nearly one in every three voters has been erased.

As the relatives of the detainees, we are both direct witnesses and victims of this difficult and deeply constrained process. We are facing a wave of rights violations and irregularities that would be unacceptable even under a declared state of emergency. As witnesses and victims of the unlawful treatment of our loved ones, we assert unequivocally that these trials are not legitimate investigations but politically motivated purges. And we insist, in the strongest terms, on one demand: Return to the rule of law.

What are we experiencing?

            • Pretrial detention, which should be exceptional, has become a routine punishment. Our loved ones—our mothers, fathers, spouses, and siblings—are being held behind bars for months without meeting the legal conditions for detention, purely for political reasons. These are not trials; they are direct acts of punishment.

            • The presumption of innocence and the right to protection from reputational harm have been severely violated. Not only our loved ones inside, held as political prisoners, but we, their families, are also being punished.

According to Article 6/2 of the European Convention on Human Rights: “Everyone charged with a criminal offense shall be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law.” Article 38/4 of our Constitution states: “No one shall be considered guilty until proven by a court judgment.” Despite this, our loved ones have been declared guilty—without even an indictment, without a court ruling—trampling on the principle of presumption of innocence and making us, their families, targets as well.

            • The fundamental human right to a fair trial is being violated. We demand that this cease immediately and that all judicial proceedings conclude within a reasonable timeframe.

No one can be convicted on assumptions or suspicions. Yet our relatives are being subjected to pretrial detention without an indictment, without a verdict. We are punished alongside them, turned into targets ourselves.

            • The unlawful arrests of several lawyers, followed by their release under judicial control, reached a climax with the arrest of Ekrem İmamoğlu’s lawyer, Attorney Mehmet Pehlivan. We demand an end to judicial pressure on our lawyers.

Let us briefly explain why we make these demands.

To date:

            • During the 4-day detention period, a one-kilometer police perimeter was set up around the Istanbul (Vatan) Police Headquarters, blocking access. In freezing weather, lawyers had to write their names on scraps of paper and wait in line behind makeshift barriers—some for 10 to 14 hours—before seeing their clients.

            • Due to the confidentiality order on the case file, lawyers were denied access to essential documents such as Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) reports and expert assessments, despite their legal right under Article 153 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

            • Although the file was supposedly confidential, details were leaked regularly to select media outlets and social media accounts, which revealed names and dates of arrests before they occurred. This gravely violated the presumption of innocence and the right to protection from reputational harm.

            • Statements from suspects and witnesses—statements not even available to defense counsel—were widely circulated by third parties.

            • The same extraordinary restrictions were imposed when suspects were transferred to court. Entry to the courthouse was restricted, even to lawyers holding valid powers of attorney. Citizens were barred entirely.

            • After spending 4 days in detention, suspects were forced to wait an additional 24 hours under harsh conditions at the courthouse before being brought before a criminal judge. This exhaustion severely impacted the ability of both lawyers and clients to mount a proper defense.

            • Monthly detention reviews were conducted without defense counsel present—even when lawyers were at the courthouse. In many cases, defense attorneys were not even notified of the rulings. This violated the Criminal Procedure Code and deprived lawyers of their rights to defense and appeal.

            • Asset seizure decisions were not served to attorneys and were not made available even upon written request. Lawyers were forced to object to decisions they had no access to.

            • Objections to continued detention were not submitted to the appellate court within the legally mandated 3-day period but were delayed for 7 to 10 days.

            • The 7th floor of the Istanbul Courthouse—where the investigation is based—has become the only judicial zone in Türkiye where lawyers are denied access. Attorneys are prevented from meeting not just with prosecutors, but even with court clerks, obstructing their ability to defend clients.

            • Numerous suspects have been detained solely based on the testimonies of “secret witnesses,” in violation of witness protection laws.

            • In many cases, detainees were imprisoned based on anonymous statements from so-called “witnesses” whose identities were withheld but who were not actually classified as protected witnesses.

            • The legal prerequisites for detention—strong suspicion and concrete evidence—have been rendered meaningless, and the Criminal Procedure Code has been ignored.

            • Article 141 of the Constitution requires that all decisions include a reasoned explanation. Continued detention orders have ignored this requirement, undermining the principle of legal security.

            • Objections to different detention decisions have all somehow been assigned to a single judge, violating the principle of natural judge. This was clearly a deliberate manipulation of the judicial process.

            • Defense attorneys have been arrested, referred for detention, and subjected to judicial control measures simply for fulfilling their professional duties.

            • Despite Istanbul being the proper venue for trial, some detainees have been transferred to prisons hundreds of kilometers away—in Izmir, Kocaeli, Çorlu, Tekirdağ, and Sakarya—effectively exiled and separated from their families.

            • Women detainees are being held under inhumane conditions. In overcrowded cells, some have had to sleep on the floor for days.

            • Beylikdüzü Mayor Mehmet Murat Çalık has lost significant weight, suffered relapses of chronic illness, and remains detained despite medical reports. Though he is not a convict, a Forensic Medicine report is being demanded as a condition for release.

            • The continued detention of Antalya Metropolitan Mayor Muhittin Böcek and former Sarıyer Mayor Şükrü Genç persists despite serious health issues known to the public.

            • Family members of detainees—spouses, children, nephews, siblings—have also been detained. Families are being collectively targeted.

            • Outlets have published blatant lies using fabricated imagery, spreading misinformation about detainees to the public.

            • Asset freeze orders have been issued arbitrarily. Properties built over generations with lawful earnings are being confiscated.

            • Detainees without indictments have been declared members of a criminal organization, and their voices, images, and photos have been banned.

In conclusion, all of these violations—summarized here for public awareness—are not just a disgrace for our country, but a form of cruelty against our loved ones who have been deprived of their liberty.

We want Türkiye to move forward as a constitutional state governed by justice, human rights, democracy, secularism, and the rule of law.

We demand:

            • An end to the use of the judiciary for political retaliation and arbitrary actions

            • Restoration of the principle of separation of powers

            • An end to unlawful detentions

            • Fair trials and the correction of judicial misconduct

            • Immediate issuance of indictments

            • An end to state-appointed trustees

            • Reinstatement of elected mayors and council members

            • Recognition of the people’s democratic will

As Mustafa Kemal Atatürk once said:

“Surely there is a thing called justice in this world, and justice is superior to force.”

The people you imprison, whose presumption of innocence and reputations you trample—are our mothers, fathers, grandparents, children, spouses, our loved ones.

Do not torture them.

Do not endanger their health.

Do not ignore the cries of families.

“Everything will be fine again.”

Attorney Seraf Özer, who delivered the joint statement, concluded her remarks by saying:

“I sincerely believe that we are a strong, tightly connected family. And I am confident that we will get through this process with solidarity. Everything will be beautiful again.”