He protested TRT in Erzurum this time: Umut Akdoğan demands live broadcast

CHP's Umut Akdoğan, following his previous protests in Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir, and Antalya, voiced his criticisms against TRT in Erzurum this time. Accompanying Akdoğan were CHP Deputy Chairman Deniz Yavuzyılmaz, Party Assembly Member Zeliha Aksaz Şahbaz, and party representatives from Erzurum and surrounding provinces.

Raising concerns regarding TRT's impartiality, Akdoğan stated that a member of parliament appearing on state television is now treated as an extraordinary event. He drew attention with his words: "I said I would appear on TRT on Monday, and it caused a great stir in Turkey. Yet, it is not an abnormal situation for a member of parliament to appear on TRT. But we have reached a point where a CHP deputy appearing on TRT is perceived as an extraordinary event."

In his statement, Akdoğan reiterated his demand that the trials involving Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and his associates be broadcast live on TRT screens. He emphasized his approach to the issue by saying, "Since you prepared a 4,000-page indictment, since you stand behind these allegations, and such a major case is being heard in Turkey, let TRT broadcast it live; let everyone see who is honest, who is honorable, and who is moral. They are even avoiding this issue. While Mr. Devlet Bahçeli says 'let it be broadcast live if necessary,' the AK Party and MHP vote no."

'ERZURUM COULD BE REBUILT FROM SCRATCH WITH THE MONEY SPENT ON TRT'

Arguing that TRT is not fulfilling its public service broadcasting duties, Akdoğan drew attention to the organization's expenditures, stating, "With the money spent on TRT during the AK Party government, Erzurum could have been rebuilt from scratch. In a city with high earthquake risk like Istanbul, this money could have been used in the fight against earthquakes."

Akdoğan added meaning to his protests by giving an example from the past: "In the past, when a television didn't work, you would either pull the plug and plug it back in, or hit it on top. Today, we came to Erzurum to pull TRT's plug and plug it back in, and to hit it on top. As CHP members, we are not satisfied with TRT. We do not consider the portion of our taxes going to TRT to be rightfully earned. We want the hearings of İmamoğlu and his colleagues to be broadcast live on TRT. I said this in Ankara and Izmir; I will continue to say it wherever I go from now on."