CHP Delegation Makes Statement in Front of Antalya Courthouse for 'Kocagöz'! 'Detained Unjustly and Unlawfully'

Kepez Mayor Mesut Kocagöz’s arrest following the cable car accident prompted CHP Group Deputy Chairman Ali Mahir Başarır and CHP Ankara MP Umut Akdoğan to make statements in front of the Antalya Courthouse.

CHP Group Deputy Chairman Ali Mahir Başarır stated the following:

"After receiving the news, our provincial chairmen, MPs, and metropolitan mayors participated in the rescue efforts for approximately 26 hours, moment by moment."

Before our friends could even rest, the prosecutor's office invited our Kepez Mayor to the courthouse just to provide information. He got dressed to come immediately. A police vehicle was waiting downstairs. Our mayor, who was called to provide information, is being held in detention in an unjust and unlawful manner."

His responsibility has ceased. There is a court that does not accept the date the Supreme Election Council (YSK) gave for his resignation! If he is the mayor today, it means this mayor resigned before December 1st. The issue here is that there is an intolerance by the ruling power toward a mayor we won with 50 percent of the vote after 30 years. We stand behind our mayor."

REMINDED OF ÇORLU

"Why are you arresting someone for a crime that does not even fall under catalog crimes with a lower limit of 2 years? Didn't we experience the same event in Çorlu? If this Mayor is the mayor today, it means he resigned before December 1st. Can such a thing happen? The problem is this: There is an intolerance by the ruling power toward a mayor we won with 50 percent of the vote after 30 years."

We stand behind our Mayor. We are now uncomfortable with court decisions being brought down like a coup against the will of our people. From now on, courts should not make decisions for our elected mayors under the pressure or phone calls of others. Nowhere in Turkey has a mayor been arrested with such an accusation, such a claim, and such a state of evidence. I am saddened.

"HIS PLACE IS NOT PRISON"

The courthouse is behind us. I am calling out to the esteemed judges: Put an end to this lawlessness. Do not cast a shadow over the will of the people of Kepez. Our Mayor has been elected and is in office. His place is the Kepez Municipality, not prison. No one can intimidate us, our party, or our municipality in this way. As the Republican People's Party Group, our Chairman, our MPs, our mayors, our provincial chairmen, our administrators, and the people of Kepez and Antalya will stand guard in front of the municipality and the courthouse for days if necessary. We will not hand over the municipality and the mandate, which we won with our heads held high and through the will of the people, to anyone based on an unlawful decision.

Finally, I say this to the esteemed judges: Read the file, look at the evidence. If my Mayor had committed a crime, we wouldn't be here, but after my Mayor resigned, that facility underwent maintenance three times. Experts from the Ministry of Industry and Technology gave their approval. He has no responsibility whatsoever. Come, listen to the voice of your conscience, show respect for the votes and the will of the people of Kepez, and decide to release Mesut Kocagöz.”

Speaking to 12punto, CHP Antalya Provincial Vice Chairman Attorney Ziya Berkhan Yaman said, “The arrest of our Kepez Mayor Mesut Kocagöz is seen more as a political issue than a legal one.”

Stating that they are pursuing the objection processes, Yaman said, “We have received opinions regarding the technical details of the matter from both a legal standpoint and from construction and mechanical engineers. The judicial authorities and the duty court will evaluate our objection.”