First reaction from CHP to Ahmet Özer verdict: A call to Devlet Bahçeli

The Republican People's Party (CHP) has reacted sharply to the 6-year and 3-month prison sentence given to Esenyurt Mayor Ahmet Özer in the "urban consensus" case. CHP Group Deputy Chairman Murat Emir argued that the court's decision was a political one and criticized the government.

In his statement regarding the verdict, Emir said: "On one hand, there is talk of an 'internal front' and 'solution,' while on the other, our Esenyurt Mayor Ahmet Özer is being sentenced to 6 years and 3 months in prison with a commissioned verdict under the pretext of urban consensus! When you look at the indictment, the intention is as clear as day."

CHP's Emir stated that the accusations against Özer are fundamentally aimed at targeting the participation of Kurdish politicians in local governments. In his statement, Emir said, "The participation of Kurds in municipalities in the west and having a say in administration is being portrayed as a 'crime.' Is this how the law of brotherhood is established? Is this how problems are solved?"

A CALL TO MHP LEADER BAHÇELİ

In the continuation of his statement, Murat Emir also addressed MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli: "Mr. Devlet Bahçeli, despite all your calls, your coalition partner, rather than taking steps toward a solution, is suffocating the possibility of a solution more each day. This verdict is the document of that."

Emir asserted that Özer is innocent and characterized the court's decision as a coup against the will of the people. Stating, "It is not a crime for any honorable citizen of this country to be represented in local government anywhere in the country!" Emir added, "The real crime is to usurp the will that emerged from the ballot box under the guise of 'terrorism' and to marginalize the equal citizens of this country. May those who bow down to you end up worse than you!"

CHP Deputy Chairman Burhanettin Bulut argued that the 6-year and 3-month prison sentence given to Ahmet Özer was "the product of political instruction, not the law." Bulut said, "Let those who lose at the ballot box and attempt to usurp municipalities through a judicial coup, those who turn the judiciary into a stick, and those who trample on the national will know that; throughout history, they have always been the losers, and it will be the same again."

WHAT HAD BAHÇELİ SAID? 

MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli, during the period when Esenyurt Mayor Ahmet Özer was in custody, had drawn attention to the Imralı Process and said that Özer should be released. Bahçeli had said, "Ahmet Özer sharing some of his thoughts regarding the PKK with the public is a separate issue, but as someone who contributes to the peace process, he should be released. If there is corruption, he should receive the necessary punishment; we must separate these two issues."