A retired Turkish colonel has been arrested over social media posts criticizing Devlet Bahçeli, leader of the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and a key government ally, the Anka news agency reported.
Çetin Orkun Özeller was detained on Wednesday as part of an investigation launched by the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office and later testified at the Ordu Courthouse in northern Turkey. He faces charges of inciting hatred, insult and insulting a public official due to his remarks criticizing Bahçeli over renewed peace talks with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Özeller, who served 28 years in the Turkish Armed Forces and took part in military operations, admitted the posts were his but argued they were political criticism rather than criminal. His lawyer, Doğukan Kozan, said the comments should be considered within the limits of freedom of expression.
In recent weeks Özeller had criticized Bahçeli over the ongoing peace efforts with the PKK launched last year following a call from Bahçeli.
In one post he wrote, “All lovers of Apo are servants of the US and Israel,” referring to Abdullah Öcalan, the jailed leader of the PKK.
After questioning, a court later on Wednesday ordered Özeller jailed pending trial on charges of inciting hatred and hostility.
His lawyer shared a handwritten note from Özeller that read, “Even if I am jailed, we have won, the Turkish nation has won. I am happy.”
The arrest attracted criticism from across the political spectrum. Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş, a member of the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), said, “Orkun Özeller cannot be imprisoned just for expressing his views. This is lawlessness.”
Müsavat Dervişoğlu, leader of the nationalist İYİ (Good) Party, called Özeller “an honorable Turkish officer who is never alone.” Former Tunceli governor Bülent Tekbıyıkoğlu also praised him as a man who “dedicated his life to the unity of the Turkish nation.”
Özeller had earlier said he was subjected to insults and threats on social media after his remarks about Bahçeli.
The peace initiative was relaunched in October 2024, when Bahçeli publicly called on Öcalan to urge the PKK to lay down its arms. Öcalan responded in February with a message calling for the group to disarm. The PKK, which launched an insurgency in 1984, announced in May that it would disband, saying it had “completed its historic mission.”
In July 30 PKK militants burned their weapons in northern Iraq, a symbolic first step after Öcalan’s call.
Bahçeli and Öcalan exchanged letters during the talks in which they allegedly praised each other. Bahçeli had been an Öcalan foe during his entire political career and referred to him as the “chief terrorist” and “baby killer.”
He received criticism from some nationalist circles for extending an olive branch to Öcalan and talking the possibility of his release from prison.
The PKK is designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict with the PKK.