Chairman of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Özgür Özel sat down with Medyascope‘s Özgecan Özgenç over the weekend for an exclusive interview that touched on Turkey’s ongoing solution process aimed at solving the Kurdish issue, as well as the wave of opposition protests that has followed the March 19th arrest of Istanbul mayor and opposition presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu.
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| Erdoğan’s approach ‘sabotages the peace process,’ says Özel |
Medyascope’s interview with the CHP head took place Sunday (July 20) prior to a planned rally in the Black Sea city of Trabzon.
Özel criticizes Erdoğan’s announcement of alliance with DEM
The CHP chairman criticized a recent announcement by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan following the PKK’s weapons burning ceremony on July 11th. In remarks the following day, the Turkish President stoked rumors of a new political alliance by saying: “As the AKP, MHP, and DEM parties, we have chosen to lead this process together.” The ultranationalist MHP is the main coalition partner of Erdoğan’s AKP, while DEM is Turkey’s major pro-Kurdish party that has served in a negotiation role throughout the ongoing solution process.
Regarding the president’s remarks suggesting a new coalition with the pro-Kurdish DEM, Özel said:
“[Erdoğan] tried to portray this as a new political alliance. Then, when there were reactions from society as a whole and corrections from the DEM Party, they removed it from the text, and he made a similar statement again in his closing remarks. But there have been serious objections to this.”
“Erdoğan’s political approach is sabotaging the solution process”
Özel criticized the continued arrests of opposition politicians alongside the ongoing solution process, saying:
“Erdoğan’s political approach has sabotaged this process to the core. We underline once again that it is unacceptable to continue negotiations with Kurdish politicians while simultaneously keeping our friends locked up.”
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| Erdoğan’s approach ‘sabotages the peace process,’ says Özel |
Özel criticizes calls to abandon political rallies
In his comments to Medyascope, Özel criticized calls from some to abandon the CHP’s series of political rallies over the past four months which began with İmamoğlu’s imprisonment. The chairman highlighted the importance of holding a rally in İmamoğlu’s hometown of Trabzon on the four month-anniversary of his arrest:
“We hear statements like “They should end the rallies and focus on politics in Ankara.” We don’t hold these rallies for nothing.”
“In the face of such oppression, it’s impossible to imagine us staying silent, apathetic, and not organizing the anger we are seeing in society into political action,” the CHP chair added.
Medyascope'u destekle. Medyascope'a abone ol.
Medyascope’u senin desteğin ayakta tutuyor. Hiçbir patronun, siyasi çıkarın güdümünde değiliz; hangi haberi yapacağımıza biz karar veriyoruz. Tıklanma uğruna değil, kamu yararına çalışıyoruz. Bağımsız gazeteciliğin sürmesi, sitenin açık kalması ve herkesin doğru bilgiye erişebilmesi senin desteğinle mümkün.
“Our goal is not to avoid standing trial”
Özel commented on the enormous legal pressure currently being faced by opposition politicians in Turkey:
“Our goal with these rallies is not to avoid our friends having to stand trial. We support a fair, transparent trial process without the need for pre-trial detention. Erdoğan was not arbitrarily detained pre-trial and did not serve time until his sentence became certain. We consent to the same treatment as Erdoğan had,” Özel said, referencing now-President Erdoğan’s brief imprisonment in the 1990s.
Prior to the beginning of the Trabzon rally, Özel commented on the idea of Istanbul Mayor İmamoğlu’s trial being broadcast on TRT, Turkey’s state broadcaster. The idea was endorsed by MHP chairman and Erdoğan’s primary coalition partner Devlet Bahçeli in a recent speech:
“Unless he wants to see his political alliance break apart, I think he should consent to this plan,” said Özel.
Original Story by Özgecan Özgenç
Translated for Medyascope by Leo Kendrick
