Detained Istanbul official celebrates daughter's first birthday from prison

Ramazan Gülten, head of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality's Zoning and Urban Planning Department, who is currently detained as part of an investigation, shared an emotional message on his social media account to mark his daughter Maya's first birthday. Gülten addressed his wife and daughter in his post, recounting how he has witnessed his daughter's growth during his incarceration.

"Happy birthday, my beautiful daughter Maya," Gülten wrote, detailing how he could only observe his daughter's development during closed and open visits. "During every closed visit, I saw how much her hair had grown, her curls, and the change in her gaze. During open visits, I compared the weight she gained, her height increase, the time it took her to fall asleep, her teething, her crawling, and her walking practice sessions with previous ones. I didn't miss even the slightest change."

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Happy birthday, my beautiful daughter Maya. During every closed visit, I saw how much her hair had grown, her curls, and the change in her gaze. During open visits, I compared the weight she gained, her height increase, the time it took her to fall asleep, her teething, her crawling, and her walking practice sessions with previous ones. I didn't miss even the slightest change.

He continued, addressing his daughter directly: "Even though you didn't let your mother sleep much at night, you grew up beautifully despite all that. In my absence, you always looked after your mother, you were her companion. For this, I owe you a special thanks. Thank you for everything. Happy birthday, my beautiful daughter."

Gülten concluded his birthday message by sharing verses from the poem "My Child" by the poet Ataol Behramoğlu. Ramazan Gülten gained public attention in 2023 due to an attack he suffered during the demolition of illegal structures on the Üsküdar Salacak coast. He has been in prison for approximately 14 months following his arrest as part of the investigation into the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.

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Even though you didn't let your mother sleep much at night, you grew up beautifully despite all that. In my absence, you always looked after your mother, you were her companion. For this, I owe you a special thanks. Thank you for everything. Happy birthday, my beautiful daughter.