Özgür Özel calls for justice on the anniversary of the Soma disaster

Twelve years have passed since the disaster that occurred in the Soma district of Manisa on May 13, 2014, which claimed the lives of 301 miners. Republican People's Party (CHP) Chairman Özgür Özel visited the miners' cemetery in Soma to commemorate the lost miners on the anniversary, stating that the disaster has still not been accounted for.

Following his visit to the miners' cemetery, Özel shared a post on his social media account, saying, "Today is not just a day of mourning for us; it is a day of not forgetting, ensuring others do not forget, and standing tall for justice," as he commemorated the 301 miners with a promise to continue the struggle.

THEY WILL CONTINUE TO SEEK ACCOUNTABILITY FOR THE DISASTER

Speaking at the memorial program held in Soma, Özel argued that in the period following the great pain experienced 12 years ago, the true perpetrators of the disaster have still not been brought to light. Stating that May 13ths have been spent in solidarity in Soma since that day, Özel said, "We rushed and came here on the day the incident happened. Since that day, we have spent every May 13th together. There were those who were here in form, in the first anniversary, in the second anniversary. They are not here today; back then they were in power locally, they were in the metropolitan municipality. They were here as part of the protocol. Many people who had no place in the protocol that day but were here are now in their places in the protocol. While one of my great sorrows is that two of our lawyer brothers are in the Silivri dungeons today, one consolation is that Sercan Okur, who has fought alongside the Soma families as a lawyer from that day until the last day, and who has never left them alone as a lawyer from Soma, is now supporting them as the mayor of this city."

Drawing attention to the lack of inspections in mines under the AK Party and the continuation of this system, Özel stated that despite the public outcry following the disaster, justice has not been served. In his speech, Özel pointed out that the decisions made in the case of the workers, who were victims of the triangle formed by unions, capital, and politics, did not satisfy the public conscience.

CRITICISM OF THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE

Pointing to the problems in the current justice system, Özel expressed that the cases were interfered with and that the law remained under the influence of politics. Drawing attention to human rights violations and changes in decisions during court processes, the CHP Chairman expressed his reaction by saying, "That is why the executioner of justice, who has been involved in every pain, every bad decision, and every decision lacking justice in our past, is serving as the Minister of Justice of the regime today."

MESSAGE OF POLITICAL CHANGE

At the end of his speech at the memorial program, Özgür Özel emphasized that he would continue the struggle against the corrupt order in the country. He delivered a message of political change with the following words: "From here, from Soma, on the 12th anniversary of this great tragedy, I say this: Just as we changed the fate of Soma, just as we took control of Soma's local destiny together with a great unity, with a faithful, honest, and determined solidarity, without ever separating or falling apart, we will change the AKP's dark order in the first elections to be held. We will certainly release the unjustly imprisoned lawyers, politicians, activists, and journalists. We will ensure that every case that needs to be retried—starting with the Soma and 301 case, for which I swore an oath with tears in my eyes as I left the courthouse—is heard again. We will ensure that the sweat of the brow is rewarded, we will dry the tears of the mothers, and we will fully uphold the righteousness of Berkan, who was 14 years old that day and is shouting here today. We will change this dark order of the AKP in the first election. We will tear down this regime!"

News Source: 12punto