Tensions rise on pro-government channel: Imrali row between Ersan Şen and Cem Küçük
An Imrali-related argument between legal expert Ersan Şen and journalist Cem Küçük, who is close to the government, left its mark on the live broadcast.
A major debate took place on the Taksim Meydanı program, which airs on TGRT Haber, a channel known for its proximity to the government.
Legal expert Ersan Şen reacted to the fact that deputies from the AKP, MHP, and DEM Party, commissioned by a parliamentary committee as part of the second peace process dubbed "Terror-Free Turkey," traveled to Imralı to meet with Abdullah Öcalan, the leader of the terrorist organization PKK.
In his speech, Şen said, "The public has started talking about this on the streets. The public did not find it right to go to Imralı, my friend. They did not find it right for them to go there, not for it to be discussed in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM). We need to clearly draw a line. Who will the Turkish state engage with?"
Pro-government journalist Cem Küçük reacted to these remarks by Şen.
Küçük stated that Öcalan, the leader of the terrorist organization PKK, is an interlocutor for the state. Ersan Şen replied, "He is not our interlocutor."
Küçük asked, "What do you mean he isn't! Who is the state's interlocutor right now, professor?" Şen responded, "The leader of a terrorist organization cannot be our interlocutor. That is your opinion. It was not the opinion of the Turkish nation."
ŞEN TO KÜÇÜK: "YOU HAVE TOO MANY ZIGZAGS"
The following dialogue took place between the two:
Cem Küçük: "Who is the state talking to right now? It is talking to Öcalan."
Ersan Şen: "I am saying it is wrong; you can defend that it is right. That is because you have too many shifts. You have too many zigzags. I cannot keep you on track. You say 'yesterday is yesterday, today is today.' That is the difference between us. I am standing in the same place I have always stood."
Cem Küçük: "You are distorting the truth. Right now, the state's interlocutor is Öcalan. Professor, it may be wrong, but he is the interlocutor."
Ersan Şen: "The murderer of 44 thousand people cannot be my interlocutor. You go and meet with him."
Cem Küçük: "Professor, where are you living? I also find it wrong, but he is the state's interlocutor. The state is meeting with Öcalan."
Ersan Şen: "I cannot comment on what I have not seen."
Cem Küçük: "Where did the 3 deputies go, then? For God's sake, what are you talking about?"