AKP's 'Özel's election promise' outburst: 'Alcohol' debate erupts in IMM Assembly

Report: Nagihan YILKIN

The first session of the October meetings of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Assembly was held at the municipal building in Saraçhane. The session was chaired by the 1st Deputy Speaker of the Assembly, Nuri Aslan.

Polemics regarding the Istanbul Convention and alcohol debates took place during the Assembly's off-agenda speeches.

Femicides and the discussions surrounding them, which have become a central issue in Turkey, were also brought to the IMM Assembly.

AKP Zeytinburnu Council Member Işıl İlgin Oktay stated that violence against women is a global problem, and claimed that statements made by CHP districts point to Law No. 6284 as the cause of violent incidents and blame the AKP government.

TARGETED THE ISTANBUL CONVENTION

Stating that the Istanbul Convention does not prevent murders, Oktay targeted the convention during her 18-and-a-half-minute speech. Saying that there are femicides in countries that are part of the Istanbul Convention as well, Oktay described the linking of concrete cases in Turkey to the Istanbul Convention as a "mental block." Oktay said she believes that new enforcement regulations will be the remedy for all dilemmas.

Taking the floor after Oktay, CHP Tuzla Council Member Filiz Akyol Akar said, "The Istanbul Convention is a convention that protects women, children, and the family. Now, they are trying to open 6284 to debate. We saw this in the İkbal and Ayşenur murders as well. A restraining order had been requested for a year. You are talking about enforcement regulations. Who benefited from the enforcement regulations in 2023? Murderers and rapists were released. Be sincere, engage in self-criticism."

IMM AKP Group Spokesperson Murat Türkyılmaz claimed that he did not see any content regarding women on the IMM women's social media page and that IMM Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu did not keep his promises, to which IMM CHP Group Spokesperson Gencay Özcan responded with data. Özcan said, "I realized from this question that you have no connection to the field. The IMM has 5 centers for combating addiction. Because the situation it is in is dire. Bağcılar, Esenyurt, Ataşehir, Sultanbeyli, and Sultangazi. Have you done even one? The second of the women's shelters is about to open, but we cannot hold an opening ceremony. Because it must remain secret. There is also legal support from the Istanbul Bar Association. The IMM is carrying out many studies in both the health and women's fields that have not been done until today."

When IMM AKP Group Spokesperson Murat Türkyılmaz took the floor again to describe the 'achievements' made during the AKP era, 1st Deputy Speaker Nuri Aslan, who warned about the ensuing debates, stated that the 5-year IMM administration was being compared with the government.

TARGETED ÖZGÜR ÖZEL

Türkyılmaz claimed, citing World Health Organization statistics, that 70 percent of violence against women occurs while under the influence of alcohol. Targeting CHP Chairman Özgür Özel, Türkyılmaz said, "Tell your chairman, those who say 'we will make alcohol cheaper' as an election promise should not talk to us about combating addiction." In response to these remarks, Aslan said, "You are living disconnected from society."

Reactions came one after another from the CHP Group regarding Türkyılmaz's words. IMM Assembly CHP Group Deputy Chairman Ülkü Sakalar said, "The goal here is to engage in politics. For the sake of politics, you made a remark that 70 percent of violence against women occurs while intoxicated. From there, you connected the topic to our chairman. I condemn it. Our women are being murdered every day. We want 6284 to be implemented. We want it to be realized how much the Istanbul Convention protects women."

"A SHALLOW VIEW"

Stating that the data in question has nothing to do with the WHO, CHP Council Member Rahşan Sertkaya spoke as follows regarding Türkyılmaz's statement: "Minister of Family and Social Services Derya Yanık said in a speech she gave in 2023 that there were no legal weaknesses in violence against women, but instead that alcoholism was at 70 to 75 percent. When we research the data of Minister Yanık's claim, which is circulated as being based on World Health Organization sources, we come across the Yeşilay website. When we scan World Health Organization sources, we do not encounter a rate like 70 percent. No information regarding Turkey has been shared. Seeking refuge in alcoholism regarding the state's lack of positive obligation against women is a shallow view."