Deniz Yücel: Announced the new step CHP will take for 'Can Atalay'

CHP Deputy Chairman and Party Spokesperson Deniz Yücel, regarding Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's invitation to CHP Chairman Özgür Özel to visit Palestine, said, "A plan will be made in line with our Chairman's schedule. We can share that in the upcoming calendar, our Chairman, Mr. Özgür Özel, will go to Palestine to visit Mr. Mahmoud Abbas."

Yücel, in a press conference held regarding the Central Executive Board (MYK) meeting chaired by Chairman Özgür Özel, stated that the forest fires occurring in various parts of İzmir have broken their hearts, adding that all mayors are in the field and deputies are attending to the citizens.

Sharing information that according to the 2021 Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Plan prepared by the İzmir Governorship and the Ministry of Interior Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), 1,235 forest fires occurred in İzmir between 1950 and 2021, Yücel noted that the report mentioned the difficulties that strong winds would create.

"THERE IS A MAJOR WEAKNESS IN FIREFIGHTING"

Yücel stated that despite this, strong winds are being presented as an excuse, saying, "We say that a science-based, rational firefighting strategy should be created, not 'excuses.' A general and regional strategic firefighting plan must be created immediately as a result of a study where all stakeholders of the issue put forward their knowledge and experience in line with their expertise. There is a major weakness in firefighting in our country. We see that while it is possible to prevent a significant portion of the fires from the very beginning with a coordinated effort, this is not being done."

Expressing the view that the budget allocated to the General Directorate of Forestry in 2024 for the purchase of aircraft and helicopters was 500 million liras, but that no money was spent in the first 6 months of the year, Yücel said, "So, does anyone know where this allocated budget went? No! Intervention equipment like helicopters and planes are insufficient. And because they are insufficient, this equipment is rented from other countries."

Reminding that 25 years have passed since the August 17, 1999 Marmara Earthquake, Yücel claimed that during the AK Party government, risky areas were opened up for rent, emergency assembly areas were destroyed, and sufficient importance was not given to earthquake training.

Claiming that CHP municipalities are blocked by the government when they want to hire fire department personnel, Yücel stated that their municipalities are mobilized to create earthquake-prepared, resilient cities.

"IT COULD BE THE BEGINNING OF A PROCESS THAT WILL NEGATIVELY AFFECT OUR COUNTRY"

Noting that the world is facing a new threat with the Mpox virus, Deniz Yücel said the following:

"The World Health Organization has issued warnings regarding the Mpox virus and declared an emergency. It is stated that it does not yet pose a danger to our country, but if precautions are not taken, it could be the beginning of a process that will negatively affect our country both financially and morally. The Ministry of Health announced that no cases have been encountered in Turkey, but did it resolve the concerns? No.

This country went through a COVID-19 pandemic, we lost thousands of our people, and the AKP government performed poorly during the pandemic. Many of our citizens lost their lives due to negligence stemming from the central government. Turkey can never, ever handle a second pandemic, both in terms of health and the country's economy. The government, which could not even manage the simplest task of distributing masks during the pandemic, cannot ensure the life safety or economic security of our citizens."

"THE NETANYAHU GOVERNMENT IS COMMITTING WAR CRIMES"

Stating that Israel's attacks on Palestine have been continuing since October 7 (2023) and the death toll, mostly women and children, has exceeded 40 thousand, Yücel described worrying developments such as Israel launching an attack on Lebanon and killing Hamas Political Bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh.

Expressing that all of this shows Israel's actual goal of spreading the state of war to the Middle East, Yücel continued his words as follows:

"The Netanyahu government is committing war crimes every day in front of the whole world to achieve this goal. Although new conflicts in the Middle East may be an opportunity for war barons, for Turkey, a war spread to the region means a new refugee crisis. To avoid being hit by a new wave of refugees, inspections and measures on the Iranian and Syrian borders must be increased, and Turkey must protect itself from a new invasion. Action must be taken as soon as possible for the illegal immigrants currently in our country, and deportation procedures must be initiated."

Deniz Yücel said that they will take steps in the coming days to call the General Assembly of the Parliament for another extraordinary session to have the Constitutional Court's ruling on Gezi Park trial convict Can Atalay read directly.

Explaining that as CHP, they continue to be the voice of the people and to voice the problems they are waiting for solutions to, and that they organize thematic rallies in this context, Yücel stated that they will organize a "Pistachio Rally" in Gaziantep on August 24.

"HE SHARED WITH HIM THAT PALESTINE IS A SECOND HOME FOR CHP"

In response to a question regarding Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's invitation to CHP Chairman Özel to Palestine during their phone call in recent days, Yücel noted the following:

"Our Chairman shared his excuse with Mr. Mahmoud Abbas for not being able to listen to his speech at the TBMM General Assembly due to the accident he had. Mr. Abbas shared that he is pleased with the support CHP has given to the Palestinian cause since the past. He expressed his gratitude for our Chairman's efforts to draw the world's attention to the Palestinian cause in his capacity as Vice President of the Socialist International, and for conveying his expectation for support and recognition of Palestine by writing letters to the prime ministers of 130 countries.

He shared with him that Palestine is a second home for CHP and that they can come to Palestine whenever they wish without waiting for an appointment. A plan will be made in line with our Chairman's schedule. We can share that in the upcoming calendar, our Chairman, Mr. Özgür Özel, will go to Palestine to visit Mr. Mahmoud Abbas."