Following Hüseyin Çelik, another dissenting voice emerges from the AKP: A call for justice

A total of 19 people, including politicians, writers, and legal experts—most notably AKP founder Hüseyin Çelik—have issued a joint statement against recent judicial practices, calling on the government, members of the judiciary, and administrators to uphold "justice."

One of the prominent figures who signed this call is Ertuğrul Yalçınbayır, an AKP founder, former Bursa MP, and former Chairman of the Constitutional Commission.

"IF THERE IS NO JUSTICE, THERE IS NO FREEDOM"

Legal expert Yalçınbayır, who served as Deputy Prime Minister in an AKP government and was one of the first to break away from the party, spoke to Saygı Öztürk from the newspaper Sözcü regarding the justice crisis in Turkey, stating: "Injustice in the country is knee-deep. When there is no justice, there is no freedom in the country, nor is there good governance."

Reminding that he worked as a lawyer on human rights issues for many years, Yalçınbayır stated that he played an active role in approximately 100 cases filed by the Bursa Bar Association. However, expressing that the results were a major disappointment, he said, "Rulings were issued in almost all of these cases, but 99 percent of them were not complied with."

"MY REASON FOR ENTERING POLITICS IS TO FIGHT AGAINST LAWLESSNESS"

Yalçınbayır emphasized that the desire to fight against lawlessness was the foundation of his decision to enter politics. Stating that he had the opportunity to work with important figures in Turkish politics, Yalçınbayır remarked on this period: "I worked with Necmettin Erbakan, Mesut Yılmaz, and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. However, we were unable to sincerely ensure that justice was served with any of the three."

Stating that despite his past duties and political experience, he never chose to remain silent, Yalçınbayır reiterated his criticisms of the current legal system and the government, saying, "I have never held back from speaking my mind."