Ayşe Ateş makes striking remarks about MHP ahead of Sinan Ateş trial: 'Disturbed by the situation...'

Former Ülkü Ocakları President Sinan Ateş lost his life following an armed attack in Ankara on June 30, 2022.

The trial of 12 detained defendants regarding the murder of Ateş will continue today (September 30) at the Ankara 32nd High Criminal Court, located at the Sincan Prison Campus. The defense arguments on the merits are expected to be presented during the hearing, which is scheduled to last throughout the week.

In the last hearing held in July, defendants Mehmet Yüce, Erdem Karadeniz, Osman Bayraktar, Zekeriya Asarkaya, Hakan Saraç, Ufuk Köktürk, Aytaç Ataç, Caner Günay, Umut Ersoy, and Alper Atay were released.

Sinan Ateş's wife, Ayşe Ateş, made statements to İpek Özbey from Sözcü TV ahead of the hearing.

"THERE ARE THOSE WITHIN THE MHP WHO ARE DISTURBED"

Stating that there are people within the MHP who are disturbed by the situation regarding the case, Ayşe Ateş said, "There are many names in all political parties who are disturbed. They are supporting this case as much as they can and are standing by us. There are many deputies within the MHP who are disturbed and saddened by this situation. Do not ask for names; I know there are deputies who are burning inside, deeply disturbed by this situation, but who do not or cannot speak out. However, they cannot express it due to the pressure on them. Regardless of who it is, there is an injustice here. Any person with a mind and conscience would be saddened by this anyway." she said.

The full interview with Özbey is as follows:

- Ms. Ayşe, how have you been since the hearing?

The day the court session ended, I went home and collapsed. My strength was exhausted; I was tired. I did everything that could be done, as much as my strength allowed. I spent the summer with the children. We spent time at home, unable to go out.

- Why couldn't you leave the house?

My daughters and I don't fit in my own car. Because there are two bodyguards, and a friend of mine acts as my driver. For about two months now, the number of my bodyguards has been increased to eight. We travel in two cars; under these conditions, where can we go? The children cry, they get bored too. They cannot burn off their energy. It seems we will be struggling with these difficulties for a while longer.

- Did you request the increase in the number of bodyguards, or did the Ministry of Interior deem it appropriate?

The Ministry deemed it appropriate; I did not have such a request. It was stated to be for precautionary purposes.

- The perpetrators, Eray Özyağcı and Doğukan Çep, claimed that Sinan Ateş was shot by his relative, Selman Bozkurt, who was with him. The expert report that arrived last week said that was not the case. What would you say to that?

They were the ones who requested a re-examination of the expert report, not us. Perhaps it was their last desperate attempt. They used to claim the innocence of Serdar, Emre, and Tolgahan, but they have now accepted that and moved on. Now they are making a scene for the hitmen and the drug dealers. They are protecting hired killers now, too. Their efforts are in vain. Because if anyone watching those camera recordings is not blind and has no problem with perception, they can see very clearly who killed Sinan. Their eyes are blind, their ears are deaf. They want to see everything as they wish and are trying to convince the public as well. These are their final gasps, and their gasps are in vain. I suppose there is no one around them saying, 'Stop protecting these drug dealers anymore.' This nation has discernment; everyone with a brain sees the truth.

- How will the expert report change the course of the trial?

The trial is already proceeding in light of the real evidence placed in the file. There is evidence in this file that is missing or has been obscured. I don't know if it will come to light in the future. This has become a declaration of the obvious. They are now proceeding through Selman. He is the son of Sinan's uncle and also the husband of my sister. They are also being tried because of Selman. Selman was wounded in his left chest; the bullet pierced his lung. They are also being tried for attempted murder. They realized they couldn't save them, so they are trying to downplay the crime. Selman went through a very long treatment process.

- Mr. Selman is not speaking at all, is he?

Selman was very seriously affected by this incident; he suffered a severe trauma and is still suffering. He is someone who grew up with Sinan. After Sinan took office, he brought him along, and he was by his side until he was murdered. It happened right before his eyes, and he is experiencing the trauma of not being able to do anything for his brother. He is trying to heal himself.

- Two deputies of former Ankara Police Chief Servet Yılmaz, who was on the team of former Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu, namely Alp Arslan and Oben Özay, were dismissed from the police force. Actually, this was more related to organized crime leader Ayhan Bora Kaplan. Özay's name had also come to the fore in the Sinan Ateş trial. Özay was involved in the allegation that the report stating that MHP member Tolgahan Demirbaş, who is alleged to be one of the key figures in the assassination, was detained from the side of MHP Deputy Olcay Kılavuz at the time of the murder was destroyed and replaced with a new fake report. Are these developments significant to you?

Of course, they are significant. These are the pieces of evidence regarding the pressure on this case from the very beginning. Oben Özay is also a person who took part in our investigation. The initial glitches perhaps provided an opportunity for evidence to be obscured. When the necessary investigation is conducted, if he has any fault in this incident, which I believe he does, it will come to light. There are other police officers and MİT members involved in this massacre.

- Has anyone from Devlet Bahçeli or the MHP said, 'Come, let's talk'?

There was no communication other than targeting and counter-attacks. For a long time, I thought they would call me, I waited. My biggest disappointment was when Bahçeli did not offer his condolences. The values I believed in were destroyed. There must be something else going on here.

- What could it be? Do they not believe they are guilty, or do they not believe you?

I truly cannot answer that question. It is a painful picture. Perhaps there are other names from the party administration and the Idealist Hearths that we do not yet know about.

"THERE ARE THOSE WITHIN THE MHP WHO ARE DISTURBED"

- Time has passed, and they say that those who were by your side have also abandoned you. Is that true?

No, it is not. There are many people in all political parties who are disturbed. They are supporting this case as much as they can and are standing by us. There are many deputies within the MHP who are disturbed and saddened by this situation. Do not ask for names; I know there are deputies who are burning inside, who are very uncomfortable with this situation, but who do not or cannot speak out. But they cannot say anything due to the pressure on them. Regardless of who it is, there is an injustice here. Any person with a mind and a conscience would be saddened by this anyway.

- Have you been able to meet with the President again?

We have not met with the President again, but I believe, and I want to believe, that he will keep the promise he made to me.

- Are you afraid?

Yes, of course I am afraid. I don't think the number of my security detail was increased from two to eight for no reason. I see that I am valued, and I see that the state is working hard to take precautions because they do not want anything to happen to me, but the danger exists, which is why these measures are being taken. No matter how afraid I am, I will carry this fight for justice to the end.

- You mentioned that your husband had journalists beaten on orders. Looking back, what kind of self-criticism would you make regarding your husband and yourself?

When you are inside something, you cannot see certain things. This applies to all of us. When you step outside and look from a distance, you see things objectively. I have made a self-criticism; I said these were mistakes. However, Sinan also committed these mistakes in line with the orders he received. Still, they should not have been done. I am very sorry.

- Perhaps we should talk about the flaws in the chain of command...

They couldn't even offer condolences without an order. They say Tolgahan did this, but he can't even go to a wedding without permission. Is it possible for him to be the instigator? It shows they acted on orders. Unfortunately, Sinan also did a few things he shouldn't have done in line with orders. Furthermore, I have contacted those journalists and asked for their forgiveness.

- What do you expect from today's hearing?

They say everyone needs justice one day, but that's not it. It is needed at every moment. We must raise our voices together against all injustices. We must show this resistance until our strength runs out. I invite everyone who wants to say no to injustice to the hearing today.

"I SOLD OUR HOUSE AND SINAN'S CAR"

- Allegations have been made against you. One of them is that you bought a total of 4 houses in Ankara worth 20 million after the murder. Is this true?

They first said the houses were worth 20 million, then they dropped it to 10 million. I wish they were worth 10 million. Sinan was an academic, and I have been a teacher for 14 years. We used the gold from our wedding and took out loans. I had a car, and Sinan had one. After Sinan was killed, I thought about moving. Because we needed to start over. An opportunity arose, and by selling our house and Sinan's car, I bought four 1+1 apartments from the developer. However, even the current value of these houses is 7-8 million liras. They can easily access this; they can reach anyone's title deed information with a single greeting. They know very well what I sold and what I bought. They already shared my title deed information. All my personal information has become a doormat under their feet. They are aware of this, but the goal here is to discredit me.

"I HAD THE PLASTIC SURGERY BEFORE SINAN DIED"

- Did you have plastic surgery immediately after your husband was murdered?

I had the surgery before Sinan was killed. I had a nose operation. When you look at my profile picture on Twitter, you can see that my nose is already operated on while I am next to Sinan. What can I say, their intelligence is also very low. Afterwards, I lost a lot of weight due to stress. That is the biggest reason for the major change in my appearance.

- Are you a FETÖ member?

I am not. I have no connection to any illegal activity. I have not even undergone a single investigation throughout my teaching career. I have never been to a police station or seen a courtroom in my life. I also made a request to the President. I said, let a detailed investigation be conducted on me and my husband. We are people who love their state, their homeland, and their nation. They actually know that too. Let's see, will good win or evil? I will do my best to ensure they do not win.