Politics News 16 October 2026 19:50 (UTC +04:00)
Photo: CC0
BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 16. Turkish journalist Celal Çiftçi has apologized to the Azerbaijani state and people.
He made the statement in a post on his account on the social media platform X.
The journalist acknowledged that his remarks concerning Azerbaijan's domestic decisions had crossed ethical boundaries and expressed regret, asking for his apology to be accepted.
“I regret the hurt and distress my statements caused in brotherly Azerbaijan. I sincerely and openly apologize to the Azerbaijani state and people for the fact that my wording went beyond my intended meaning. I respectfully ask that my sincere apology be accepted,” he wrote.
Çiftçi emphasized that he respects the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and constitutional order of the Azerbaijani state.
Earlier, the Prosecutor General's Office of Azerbaijan announced that Turkish citizen Celal Çiftçi, a columnist for the Şanlıurfa Olay newspaper, had been charged in a criminal case involving calls for the violent seizure of power in Azerbaijan and the incitement of religious hatred, and that an international search had been declared for him.
According to the Prosecutor General's Office, investigations were launched following reports that various individuals on social media, including Çiftçi, born in 1975, had posted materials aimed at the violent seizure of power and the incitement of religious hatred and enmity through the use of violence.
Following Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 309 dated September 21, 2026, the repeated dissemination of religiously radical materials aimed at a coup and the violent seizure of power, the forcible alteration of the constitutional order, and the incitement and promotion of religious hatred and enmity was identified. The office noted that some of the materials had been generated using artificial intelligence.
Based on the collected materials, the Prosecutor General initiated criminal proceedings on October 16 under Articles 281.2, 283.2.1 and 167-3.1 of the Criminal Code. The Prosecutor General's Office's Investigation Department was tasked with conducting the preliminary investigation.