ANKARA: A Turkish court ruled today that far-right party leader Umit Ozdag should be released from prison, five months after he was jailed pending trial on charges of inciting public hatred, broadcaster Haberturk said.
Ozdag heads the Victory Party, which won 2.23% of the votes in 2023 elections, and is known for his fierce opposition to immigrants.
He was jailed in January on charges of insulting president Tayyip Erdogan and inciting anti-refugee riots in Kayseri in the summer of 2022, through his social media posts.
At a court hearing today, Ozdag dismissed the charges and said some of the posts subject to prosecution were from eight years ago and all of them were within the limits of political criticism, Haberturk and other media reported.
The Istanbul court sentenced Ozdag to two years and four months in prison for inciting hatred, but also ruled to release him from prison, according to Haberturk.