(İHA Photo)
Former Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu gave a statement to prosecutors in the capital Ankara on Sept. 7 as part of an investigation into alleged insults against the president.
In a statement, prosecutors in Ankara said the investigation was launched over comments Davutoğlu, 67, shared on social media that were deemed insulting to the president.
According to media reports, the investigation centers on remarks Davutoğlu made during a visit to the southeastern province of Diyarbakır in 2022. A video of the remarks had resurfaced and circulated widely on social media in recent days.
Some media outlets reported that another speech Davutoğlu delivered during a visit to the eastern province of Bitlis in 2021 was also included in the investigation file.
Davutoğlu arrived at the Ankara Courthouse on Sept. 7 to give his statement. Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA) leader Ali Babacan and Felicity Party (SP) leader Mahmut Arıkan also came to the courthouse in a show of support for Davutoğlu.
The emerging main opposition New Party leader Özgür Özel called Davutoğlu by phone to convey his solidarity.
Davutoğlu’s Future Party is one of three opposition parties that jointly formed the New Path parliamentary bloc alongside the SP and DEVA.
On July 29, Davutoğlu announced that his Future Party would cease its political activities, describing the decision as an effort to distance itself from what he called Türkiye’s “corrupted political climate.”
Davutoğlu served as Türkiye’s foreign minister from 2009 to 2014 and as prime minister from 2014 to 2016.
After falling out with the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), Davutoğlu established the Future Party in 2019.
