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.