ISTANBUL (Medyascope) – The trial involving 414 defendants, including CHP’s presidential candidate and İBB Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, with 68 in custody, continues on its 47th day. Today’s session in the İBB trial began with the defense of İpek Elif Atayman, former general manager of Medya A. Ş. Atayman stated, "My questions about the nature of the accusations and evidence against me, as well as my requests to be questioned, went unanswered.
In some cases, after briefly recording what I said in the minutes, they immediately decided to continue my detention and cut the connection. Being certain that I committed no crime and am not a member of any criminal organization, I spent fifteen very difficult months without knowing or understanding the accusations against me."
Atayman described being transferred from Silivri to Afyonkarahisar after her arrest: "When I was first detained, I stayed in a cell in Silivri. Later, I was moved to a ward. However, shortly after, I was taken on a difficult journey to Afyon on the eve of a holiday. This trip lasted eight hours with my hands handcuffed inside a cage-like compartment. When I arrived at the prison, my wrists were bruised.
My criminal complaint yielded no results. In the crowded ward where I was placed, mostly with drug addicts and dealers, I spent days lying on the floor. In the Afyon prison, where I had no connections, far from my son, mother, and father, and with very limited communication with my lawyers, I have come to this day," she said. Continuing her defense on the 47th session of the İBB trial, Atayman added:
"Even though 15 months have passed, there has been no improvement in my situation, and I am still subject to this process. I am temporarily in Silivri. Recently, when a journalist asked the Minister of Justice why I was brought from Ankara to Istanbul and detained there, he referred to Article 12 of the Criminal Procedure Code, stating that the place where the crime was committed is important, and therefore I am detained in Istanbul. All the alleged crimes were committed in Istanbul. However, I am in Afyon. I was not arrested in Afyon. Despite not requesting it, I was transferred from Silivri to Afyon, and my request to be transferred back to Silivri was denied. I want to emphasize that this is a major contradiction and an unlawful practice.
I was only able to review some of the documents related to my allegations and charges by examining CDs delivered to the prison in February 2026. However, this review was far from adequate. I have been detained for fifteen months and am being tried with a prison sentence requested against me. I came here trying to read the file on a computer for one or two hours a day via CD, interpreting what I could remember.
I could not read the file or take notes in the ward where I stayed. I believe you understand what that means. I was able to discuss these charges with my lawyers under very limited and difficult conditions.
Being kept away from Istanbul, where the alleged crimes occurred, where the trial is held, and where my family and lawyers are located, made the already unjust detention the harshest form of punishment.
Moreover, during detention review hearings, judges who do not know and cannot know the case and investigation ignored the principle of personal guilt and issued decisions on a single document with the same reasons indiscriminately for detainees in different situations. Witnessing this, I worry about how these injustices I have experienced will end."
"Show me from whom and what I took"
İpek Elif Atayman, who said, "Show me the proof of from whom I took bribes and what I took," stated that she worked at Medya A. Ş. for 21 months but is accused over a six-year period. Atayman said, "There is no evidence. In this trial, many people confessed that they told false stories under the threat of their families being detained. What crime have I committed? Present the evidence."
"The indictment alleges five different acts against me. The 118th act covers my 21-month tenure as general manager at Medya A. Ş. from August 2, 2019, to April 11, 2021. The other four acts—numbered 73, 85, 89, and 106—relate to the period from April 11, 2021, to August 5, 2024, when I served as a board member, a representative role, after leaving the general manager position. These five acts allegedly involve irregularities in some tenders and purchases. The indictment does not explain how I committed crimes in these acts. Unfortunately, it is completely unclear how I allegedly participated in fraud and bribery offenses and by what actions."
After Atayman said she could not find a concrete reason for her detention and found no witness statements supporting the allegations, Ekrem İmamoğlu took the floor to ask questions.
İmamoğlu said, "While following this process involving Ms. Elif and some other friends, I tried to understand the matter as if looking into the eyes of my mother, my sister, my wife, or my daughter. I condemn this cruelty against innocent women and truly see it as if it were done to my mother, sister, or daughter.
I curse it," he added.
İmamoğlu: "As far as I know, you are the first female general manager of Medya AŞ, right?"
İmamoğlu: "During your tenure as general manager, we had some meetings with you. Apart from improving the institution, strengthening its work, or enhancing the quality of its activities, did we have any other agenda with you? Or was there any other issue within the framework of the language used in the indictment describing the process?"
İmamoğlu: "Ms. Elif, I also learn from the accusation that you are a member of an organization. Because I have not read even a page of this indictment, which I describe as a black mark in this world. Let me say again. I follow this from here, and I have learned that you are a member of an organization. Is that so?"
İmamoğlu: "How many months did you stay in Silivri? And then how long..."
Atayman: "Mr. Mayor, I stayed in a cell in Silivri for two months. Then they moved me to a ward. Shortly after, I was transferred to Afyon. I stayed in Afyon for ten months."
İmamoğlu: "You were there for ten months. Dear Mayor, dear panel; we have been very sensitive about female executives and suddenly appointed four to five times more female executives. We were also sensitive about female employees. I will explain this in my defense, but I need to mention it today as well because I think you need to look at it from a different perspective. For the first time, female general managers served in the companies here and those not present.
For the first time in the history of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, female deputy general secretaries served. I emphasize the history here. While following this process involving Ms. Elif and some other friends, I tried to understand the matter as if looking into the eyes of my mother, sister, wife, or daughter.
You will make a decision here. I believe the unfortunate treatment of Ms. Elif and some friends like her has an underlying basis that feeds violence and psychological hostility against women. I will not try to understand this as deep political processes here.
But I understand this: It is essential to urgently rectify the decisions made by some people who struggle even for the careers of their own family members. I condemn this cruelty against innocent women and truly see it as if it were done to my mother, sister, or daughter. I curse it. I declare that I will follow up on this situation. As a man, I also apologize to the women here.
I hope you end this process with fairness."
