Banner promoting secularism was targeted: The LEFT Party members face charges of “inciting the public to hatred and hostility”!
An indictment has been prepared against six LEFT Party members who were placed under house arrest after the banner promoting secularism they hung in Sefaköy, Istanbul, was targeted. The indictment seeks their imprisonment.
An indictment has been prepared against six LEFT Party members who were placed under house arrest after the banner reading “Against Sharia, fascism, and darkness: a secular, revolutionary, democratic republic” was targeted in Istanbul’s Sefaköy district.
In the indictment prepared by the Küçükçekmece Chief Prosecutor’s Office, prison sentences ranging from 2 to 7 years were sought for three LEFT Youth members on charges of “damaging public property” and “publicly inciting the public to hatred and hostility.” The indictment seeks prison sentences ranging from one to three years for the LEFT Party Istanbul Provincial Manager Enis Çiçek, former Küçükçekmece district spokesperson Şükrü Çetin, and party member Menevşe Alptekin, on the grounds that they committed the crime of “publicly inciting the public to hatred and hostility.”
The first hearing of the trial against the LEFT Party members will take place on April 28, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. at the Küçükçekmece 15th Criminal Court of First Instance.
WHAT HAS HAPPENED?
LEFT Party members who hung a banner reading “Secular, Revolutionary, Democratic Republic Against Sharia, Fascism, and Darkness” in Sefaköy, Istanbul, faced a reactionary provocation attempt.
As footage of those moments spread on social media, those who hung the banner were targeted through certain pro-government media outlets.
Following this, the LEFT Party Istanbul Provincial Director Enis Çiçek, former spokesperson for the Küçükçekmece district Şükrü Çetin, party member Menevşe Alptekin, and three LEFT Youth members were detained.
Note: This article is translated from the original article titled Laiklik pankartı hedef gösterilmişti: SOL Partililere “halkı kin ve düşmanlığa tahrikten” dava!, published in BirGün newspaper on April 8, 2026.
