12 November 2025
Deputy Chair of the Victory Party, Mehmet Ali Şehirlioğlu, allegedly physically assaulted journalist Can Öztürk of T24 at the Çağlayan Courthouse in Istanbul. During the hearing, Öztürk was reportedly taking notes when Şehirlioğlu told him, “You are not watching the hearing, men older than your grandfather are standing. Leave the courtroom,” and proceeded to forcibly lift him by the arm and remove him from the room.
Following backlash from fellow journalists, Şehirlioğlu approached the press outside the courtroom, stating that Öztürk was “occupying a seat while working on a different file.” In a later statement to T24, he denied any physical contact or expulsion, claiming he only asked the journalist to make room for others.
