Important statements from Ümit Özdağ: As a subject matter expert, I can foresee what the PKK will and will not do

Zafer Party Chairman Ümit Özdağ appeared on İpek Özbey's program on Sözcü TV after his release.

Highlights from Özdağ's statements are as follows:

Touching upon the detention process that led to his imprisonment, Özdağ said, "I heard in the morning that the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office had launched an investigation, but honestly, I didn't dwell on it much. I know the speech was made in Antalya; what does it have to do with the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office?

That day, after finishing my work at the headquarters, I had a meeting a bit early. Then I went to a restaurant, and while I was chatting with a friend, the head of my security detail came to me. 'Sir, I think something bad is happening, police have surrounded the area, they want to speak with you,' he said. 'Of course,' I said, and went upstairs. Two things came to my mind: A detention or an assassination warning. An assassination warning was a higher probability, but they said it was a detention.

I went upstairs and said, 'What's going on, Chief?' I asked, 'Is it an assassination or a detention?' They said, 'Detention, sir.' There were about 25-30 police officers around me; it was clear that this detention would result in an arrest. There was no specific criminal charge, but there was an accusation of insult.

Until I arrived in Istanbul, I had a constant question in my mind: 'How will they arrest me?' Because you cannot be arrested for insult. When I arrived in Istanbul, I started waiting in the lawyer meeting room. I asked when they would take me, and they said, 'Tomorrow.' But they kept me waiting until 1:30 in the afternoon.

Meanwhile, at 9 AM, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office wrote a letter to the Kayseri Provincial Police Department, saying, 'If there is a report regarding the Zafer Party about the events, send it.' But there was no such report. Upon this, they prepared their own report.

Five Zafer Party members were detained after the events. One was a former member, one had joined three years before the events, and another six months before. All of them had received non-prosecution decisions. But based on this, they referred me for arrest, and the judge arrested me, saying, 'There is no obstacle to his arrest.'"

Emphasizing the difficulty of the process, Özdağ continued his words as follows:

"It is possible to arrest 86 million people; no one except members of parliament is granted immunity. This process had begun, but at the same time, there was a very intense work pace. I got quite tired from lying down and getting up for five months. However, living with the knowledge that you are being unjustly accused makes one angry; this is what tires a person the most. Also, not knowing when I would be released increases one's anxieties.

For example, many people died in the Kobani events, and there were nearly 4,000 arrests. Events took place in 34 provinces and 121 districts. It took 68 days to prepare the indictment, but the indictment prepared against me took 78 days. In the end, a sentence of 2 years and 4 months was given."

Stating, "Now I am waiting for the justification with great curiosity," Özdağ said, "The judge was very elegant, but I would have liked it to go down in history. He could have shown that even if there is no independent judiciary in Turkey, there are independent judges. He could have also given a message to the public that there is still hope for justice."

Özdağ continued his words as follows:

"What I have said from the first day is this: There are two different legal practices in Turkey. A different law is applied to those close to the government, and a different one to those in the opposition. But a nation must have a single law. If a different law is applied to supporters and an 'enemy criminal law' is applied to those who do not support, national unity cannot be established.

The Anatolian geography is truly a very special place, a kind of 'Bermuda Triangle.' In history, many nations and states have been wiped out in this geography. Thousands of years ago, there were civilizations like the Hittites in Anatolia. Today, this geography is witnessing major population movements along with global warming.

And in this period, at a time when a fascist like Netanyahu in the Middle East is burning and destroying everything with great Western support, Turkey's greatest strength is not its air defense systems, S-400s, or the Turkish Armed Forces, but what Mustafa Kemal Atatürk said: 'The first line is the border.' This is a very important message."

To the question, "You think the reason you were taken hostage is that you are against this process. Well, this process is continuing. Why were you released?" Özdağ gave the following answer:

This process is experiencing great trouble. The trouble stemmed from other aspects inherent in this process. I have stated from the beginning that the PKK terrorist organization should not be trusted. I say that negotiations should not be held with the PKK until it says, 'Turkey has defeated me and I have been defeated.' I have always defended this approach.

There was an air of victory in the statements of both Öcalan and the PKK. It was like this in the first negotiation process as well. At that time, I had received an appointment from President Abdullah Gül, I visited him, and I presented him with a seven-page report.

For this reason, I can foresee very well what the PKK will and will not do, both as a subject matter expert and as someone active within Turkish political history."