Özel's 'Cafer Mahiroğlu' statement: 'This is an assassination of character'

CHP Chairman Özgür Özel answered questions in Manisa.

Highlights from Özel's statement are as follows:

"Mayor Ferdi won the hearts of all of Manisa and all of Turkey during his tenure as Manisa Metropolitan Mayor, which did not even last 1.5 years. Everyone bid him farewell with tears.

Today is the last day of condolences. Tens of thousands of Manisa residents are coming, and there are people coming from all cities. We will continue to receive condolences from his loved ones today. We also have a memorial service this evening at Hatuniye Mosque.

All political party leaders, the president, and former presidents, everyone called. All of Turkey has united with Mayor Ferdi.

It is not easy to expect political outcomes from this or to expect that the great injustices inflicted upon our party will end, but let no one forget this: One flower does not bring spring, but every spring begins with a flower.

I hope the common conscience revealed by the citizens will be a guide for all of politics. It is necessary to see what the nation wants. The nation says, 'I will stand by whom I have elected,' and it is necessary to stand by elected officials.

It is necessary to see this issue of ownership over the will and the elected. Otherwise, why would 104-year-old grandmothers go to an unofficial election of a party? They are standing by whom they elected.

I attach extraordinary importance to the process that has taken place. Mayor Ferdi took something he did while alive to the highest point with his death. This is very important; we must know its value.

CHARACTER ASSASSINATION THROUGH SLANDER AGAINST CAFER MAHİROĞLU

There is a certain Aziz İhsan Aktaş; the prosecutor's office called him a criminal organization leader. They kept him inside for 70-80 days. He gave a 5-page statement in 2 days, smearing this person and that person. They released the leader of the criminal organization.

His statement is, "As far as I understand, it happened like this, like that..." It is not acceptable to have an arrest warrant based on this.

The issue here is not Cafer Mahiroğlu; Cafer Mahiroğlu is the owner of Halk TV, Cafer Mahiroğlu is the one who makes the voice of the opposition heard, he is the owner of the channel that reports critical approaches to investigations. This is a direct pressure and attack aimed at silencing, aimed at the public's right to receive news, aimed at Halk TV and the opposition.

I see this as an attack on the right of people in Turkey to hear criticisms regarding what the prosecutor has done. We see it as the prosecutor's approach of, "I could not provide evidence, the nation does not believe me, and the slanders are being debunked rapidly in the opposition media, let me silence them and attack again." The nation will not allow this.

For this reason, we see the arrest warrant for Mr. Cafer as an attempt to silence journalism.

I see it as an effort by the prosecutor to silence the issue of having no evidence, a situation in which he finds himself and cannot explain himself to the nation."

News Source: 12punto