Özgür Özel makes a call from Saraçhane: 'I am addressing Erdoğan clearly, let the assets of his dirty apparatus be disclosed'

The CHP gathered for the 99th of its 'Standing Up for the National Will' rallies in Saraçhane on the anniversary of the cancellation of the university diploma of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor and the party's presidential candidate, Ekrem İmamoğlu.

ÖZGÜR ÖZEL'S AKIN GÜRLEK CALL TO PRESIDENT ERDOĞAN

Following Özgür Çelik, CHP Chairman Özgür Özel took the stage. Özgür Özel began his speech by reciting the poem "Until the Earth Becomes the Face of Love" by Adnan Yücel.

Highlights from Özgür Özel's speech are as follows:

They thought they had finished the job by taking one Ekrem, that they had intimidated them. A year later, instead of one Ekrem, there are hundreds of thousands of Ekrems in the square.

A year ago, it was time for iftar. They cancelled Mayor Ekrem's 31-year-old diploma. Even though the faculty that issued the diploma resisted, even though the dean said 'it cannot be done,' and even though they said 'the diploma is valid' every time it was asked... By forcing, by pressuring, by making the dean resign, and ultimately, not from the Faculty of Business Administration; they went to cancel the diploma through the Board of Directors of Istanbul University, whose job is not to issue diplomas or equivalency certificates, but to paint and organize ring services.

That day, no document given by the state in the hands of anyone, of any of us, had any importance or value anymore. Neither the title deed was a title deed anymore, nor did the marriage certificate have any meaning. Those with money in the bank could not trust it, nor could those who bought stocks. That day, some people placed dynamite under the social contract and the constitution that make this state a state. That day, they tried to make the nation a toy in the hands of some by wasting the trust in the state.

Immediately after, at the time of suhoor that evening, they showed up at his door with hundreds of police officers. They started a conspiracy full of lies and slanders. That day, when those who came to Mayor Ekrem's door took him to Vatan Police Headquarters; his wife Dilek Hanım, his children, and his companions stood tall. We were all here together that day. That day, to the question 'What will happen?', we said, 'Whatever happens, it will happen today!' We knew that the person targeted by the coup was Mayor Ekrem, the action targeted was the party's march to power, and the place targeted was Saraçhane.

We called on you to defend this place. As soon as they heard this, they announced a ban: '3 people will not come together, there will be no action, meeting, or march for 5 days, and everyone will sit at home,' they said. It wasn't enough; they closed the subways, stopped the buses, removed the bridges, and tied up the ferries. That day, 4,000 Republican People's Party members in front of Vatan Police Headquarters and Istanbul University students in Beyazıt Square were facing barricades and barriers.

Salutations and blessings to those who tore down those barriers in Vatan and Beyazıt that day, to those who marched for democracy, and to those who stood up for their future! I bow with respect before the Istanbul University, Boğaziçi, Yıldız Technical, ITU, all universities in Istanbul, and all the youth who stood up for their future that day and today.

That day, we climbed onto this bus and, with the strength we received from you, we lit the torch of a historic resistance. We did it all together. And for exactly 7 nights, speaking from the same bus in this square to the same microphone, we all said this to Turkey and the world together: Nothing ends when you want it to; it doesn't end until we say 'it's not over'! We said, 'We are here, we are in the square, we are in action.'

On the first night, despite all the bans, 110,000 people came here. This life comes and goes. We are here today, we are gone tomorrow. But if they asked me in the twilight of my life, 'You have a medal regarding democracy, regarding the Republic and the country's future. Who would you give it to?', I would want 110,000 of those medals. I would give them to each and every one of you who filled this place on the first night last year! 110,000 people on the first night... A crowd increasing every night, and on March 23, the day of the primary election, the day Ekrem İmamoğlu became the candidate with the votes of 15.5 million people, we were with 1.2 million people in this square! People filled not just this square, but the entire peninsula with great determination. The drone went and went, the drone's range ended, but the end of this crowd did not come! It was clear from that day; the story of the Republic and democracy has not ended in this country. It has not ended, and it will not end!

Our resistance was not limited to this. The torch lit from Saraçhane turned into roaring flames all over Turkey. We crossed the Bosphorus, went to the other side, and became 2.2 million in Maltepe. Afterwards, we were in a district of Istanbul every Wednesday and in a province of Anatolia every weekend. We went to those provinces. We carried the greetings of this place, of Istanbul, to Anatolia. With the spark of this place, we became glowing flames there, and we continued these actions for a year, one day in Istanbul, one day in Anatolia.

First they said, 'These actions will end in a month.' Summer came, they said, 'No one will stay in the heat, students will go to their hometowns, Istanbulites will go on vacation.' But you didn't stop in the summer or the winter. In Antalya at 45 degrees, in Çankırı at minus 4 degrees, that torch you lit burned, and burned, and burned! It covered all of Turkey! You succeeded, you succeeded!

We talked a lot in a year, of course. It doesn't work in the cold, fair enough. It doesn't work in the heat, of course. But we always said that we are not calling people to an action, to a struggle, that is, to a dry rally, but to a great struggle being waged. Here, the 98th is behind us, and tonight we are together again in Saraçhane for the 99th action. We are all together!

This microphone has been in my hand for exactly 112 hours. I spoke for exactly 4 and a half days without stopping, without pausing, and you listened.

The circumference of the world is 40 thousand kilometers. This bus traveled 105 thousand kilometers in a year. With the strength we received from you, we worked with our companions by running without stopping, running without stopping. Of course, neither does this bus go alone, nor does this struggle continue on its own. From the driver at the wheel to the sound technician, to the staff; to those who have slept on this bus more than in their homes for a year, to those who put in the effort; from the cameraman to the photographer, from the translator to the one using the drone... Blessings to all my hardworking brothers and sisters!

To all the political parties that supported us in this process; first and foremost to all the chairmen who rushed here in the first days, to the members of all political parties, to the youth branches, to the women's branches, to the lion-hearted social democrats, nationalist democrats, conservative democrats, Kurdish democrats, liberal democrats, socialist democrats, to all the democrats of Turkey, greetings! I thank each and every one of them individually.

I thank all professional organizations, the very valuable union executives, members, civil society, and associations individually.

And you... 15.5 million brave, heroic people who participated in 98 rallies! And today we are reaching 16 million together. This square, these squares, these heroes deserve the biggest applause. We applaud you.

We do not get our strength from across the ocean. We do not get our strength from Trump. We get our strength from this square, from the fighting spirit of this square, from the Republic entrusted by Atatürk, from those who believe in the ballot box, which is its most important achievement, from those who cling to their right to vote, from those who stand by whom they elected. We get our strength from you! And we will protect our strength to the end and we will never, ever leave anyone behind.

While holding the first rally in Uşak, we addressed all of Turkey. We said; 'Now it's Saraçhane's turn again. We are going to Saraçhane, let them wait for us. We are meeting in Saraçhane for the 99th rally,' we said. 'Wait for us, Istanbul,' we said. Now we have come to Istanbul!

"EXACTLY WITH THIS SPIRIT, EXACTLY WITH THIS BELIEF, EXACTLY WITH THIS DETERMINATION"

The Istanbul we told to 'wait' in the 99th action waited for us once again. But it didn't wait at home. To stand up for its future, to stand up for its country, we are together again! We are in the square again, we are in action again, we are standing tall again!

And today is the 111th anniversary of the Çanakkale Naval Victory. We commemorate Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, all our martyrs, and our veterans with gratitude and mercy. And we commemorate those who made Çanakkale impassable, those who gave their lives without blinking so that that fleet would not reach Istanbul.

Then we know those who brought that fleet, which the Turkish soldier did not let pass, with the decision of one person, and let it anchor in Istanbul, and those who loved them very much laid red carpets there, and then when they were cornered, they escaped by boarding that fleet, that battleship; and we also know those who, when that fleet arrived, looked at the horizon from the Kartal steam launch and said to the person next to them, 'Don't cry, child, they will go as they came!'

Exactly with this spirit, exactly with this belief, exactly with this determination; to those who say 'Will you stop?' after 99 actions, we say 'We will not stop, we will continue!' and we invite everyone to Çanakkale for the 100th action! To Çanakkale!

"ERDOĞAN KNEW THAT HE COULD NOT STOP THIS TREND IN HIS OWN WORDS"

Dear Istanbulites; they say 'Human memory is prone to forgetfulness,' let's refresh our memories. Everything started in November 2023. Our party, which emerged from a major election defeat a few months prior; while hopes were on the ground, heads were down, and morale was low, managed to achieve a great change by standing up again with the youth saying 'Let's stand up' and with young and female cadres. And in the elections held just 4 months later, the AK Party was defeated for the first time in its history. The Republican People's Party became Turkey's leading party after 47 years. And we did not attribute this victory to ourselves or to our party alone. We saw this as the success of democrats, the success of those who stood side by side, who were together.

Erdoğan knew that he could not stop this trend in his own words. That's why he didn't trust his party, his party's youth branches, or women's branches. That's why he attempted something that shouldn't be done. He sent someone, whom he had previously dragged from court to court and whose justice he had slaughtered, and then rewarded by making him a deputy minister, to Istanbul as the Chief Public Prosecutor this time.

That useful apparatus immediately started its duty. The gang established by this person turned into a 'White Taurus' gang involved in all kinds of dirty business. A coup plan worked step by step. First, on October 30, our Esenyurt Mayor, dear Ahmet Özer, was taken. A trustee was appointed to Turkey's largest district. Ahmet Özer spent 377 days in prison and came out with his head held high.

Then, Beşiktaş and Beykoz operations were carried out. On March 18, Mayor Ekrem's 31-year-old diploma was cancelled. On March 19, an attempt was made to carry out a civilian coup in the country, a coup attempt. The mayors elected by the nation, bureaucrats, and our presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu were detained. That coup has been going on for exactly 365 days, and the nation has been resisting the coup for 365 days.

"IT IS A STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY AS A FRONT"

Dear Istanbulites, March 19 is an attempt to tear up the contract between the state and the nation. March 19 was done so that the nation would not decide who would govern this country. It was done so that the nation would pay its taxes, go to the military, pay traffic fines, but could not change the government with its own will. The struggle that we, that you, have been waging for a year is not a party struggle as a position. It is a struggle for democracy as a front.

We can briefly remind you of its importance and value: We democrats know the importance of the ballot box. In recent weeks, the AK Party Ministry of Interior made a regulation and started a new practice of fining modified vehicles. An unexpected reaction arose from society. And those who have given their votes to the People's Alliance until today, to the AK Party, and who perhaps said 'What are they doing?' when they encountered our struggles, started writing 'We'll see you at the ballot box' to the AK Party on social media.

"THIS SQUARE IS RESPONSIBLE NOT ONLY FOR ITSELF BUT ALSO FOR GROWING THIS STRUGGLE"

March 19 is against the nation's will to say 'We'll see you at the ballot box.' So, whether it's someone who votes for the AK Party, works in an industrial site, whose only dream is to modify their vehicle to their liking, and who wants to settle the score at the ballot box when they see a fine twice the value of their vehicle; or whether it's the youth gathering in front of Istanbul University, standing up for their future... A system where the nation is sovereign, where the nation is the only one with a say, where elected officials govern, not single men, where the nation brings whoever it wants to the top and sends away whoever it doesn't want; this is the system that created, saved, founded, and brought this country to these days.

For this reason, we are socializing this struggle, the struggle to protect politics and the ballot box, against those who want to eliminate the ballot box, against these tricksters who don't want to look anyone in the face again if a handful of coup plotters establish a system according to themselves. This understanding, which spreads to industrial sites, which is talked about in villages and fields, which comes to the agenda in worker shuttles, saying 'My brother, they are eating my rights, I will take my rights. If I don't take them, I will oppose them, I will change whoever I don't want,' is our most important guarantee to repel this coup.

This square is responsible not only for itself but also for growing this struggle. Are we ready to grow this struggle, to grow it step by step, to march to power all together? (We are ready!) Are we ready? (We are ready!)

Repelling this coup is the duty of all democrats. Whoever holds the seal is Solomon. Our struggle is so that a handful of people, a handful of people, do not become Solomon. Our struggle is the struggle for the seal and the judgment to remain with the nation. Everyone should make their calculations accordingly. Are we ready to grow this struggle in waves from now on? (We are!) Are we ready? (We are ready!)

Here is our Esenyurt Mayor Ahmet Özer! Here is Adana's elected mayor Zeydan Karalar among us!

We have never forgotten our brothers, friends, and heroes in prison, we have not left them alone, and we will not.

Our Beşiktaş Mayor Rıza Akpolat,

Our Beykoz Mayor Alaattin Köseler,

Our Beylikdüzü Mayor Mehmet Murat Çalık,

Our Şişli Mayor Resul Emrah Şahan,

Our Büyükçekmece Mayor Hasan Akgün,

Our Avcılar Mayor Utku Caner Çaykara,

Our Gaziosmanpaşa Mayor Hakan Bahçetepe,

Our Ceyhan Mayor Kadir Aydar,

Our Seyhan Mayor Oya Tekin,

Our Antalya Metropolitan Mayor Muhittin Böcek,

Our Şile Mayor Özgür Kabadayı,

Our Beyoğlu Mayor İnan Güney,

Our Bayrampaşa Mayor Hasan Mutlu,

Our Büyükçekmece Deputy Mayor Ahmet Şahin,

Our Party Assembly member Baki Aydöner,

Our previous term deputy, our deputy chairman Aykut Erdoğdu,

Our Bolu Mayor Tanju Özcan,

Our Kuşadası Mayor Ömer Günel.

And the elected mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, the son of the nation, our presidential candidate, determined by the votes of 15.5 million and requested by the signatures of 25.5 million;

Ekrem İmamoğlu! Ekrem İmamoğlu! Ekrem İmamoğlu!

"TRT IS IN THE HANDS OF A CHARACTER ASSASSIN WHO BROADCASTS WITH EDITED FOOTAGE INSTEAD OF THESE"

At the point reached, they set out saying '560 billion lira corruption,' not even 560 kuruş could be proven, it couldn't even enter the indictment.

They said '1200 cell phones were distributed,' it turned out to be a lie.

They said 'money in suitcases,' it turned out to be a jammer.

They said '2 million euros under the park,' it all turned out to be a lie.

İmamoğlu's luxury vehicles turned out to belong to an MHP deputy.

The safe of the Gaziosmanpaşa Municipality, instead of dollars, a seal came out of the AK Party member's safe.

However... However, TRT is in the hands of a character assassin who broadcasts with edited footage instead of these...

"TODAY, THEY HAVE NOTHING LEFT BUT THEIR SECRET WITNESSES"

Our righteousness and their conspiracies have emerged one by one. And today, they have nothing left but their secret witnesses. Now they are giving up on their slanders. Just today in Antalya, a confessor said, 'I was pressured, I was threatened, I lied, may those who were harmed by what I said forgive me,' and the court tried to initiate proceedings against him.

In the IMM case, there was a secret witness named Meşe. Mayor Ekrem was accused with his statements. When the indictment arrived, it turned out that Meşe was nowhere to be found. It turned out that the same words were pasted exactly onto another secret witness.

Today, both the one who said 'I was pressured, I cannot commit a sin' in Antalya today, and the one who spoke in Silivri, Istanbul last week, and the one who tells the truth today by saying 'I didn't say this statement, the prosecutor wrote it like this and made me sign it,' show us all how a conspiracy collapses.

We say to those who act like bullies against us by abusing the power of the state: We are using the power of the nation, not anyone else's! We get support from the nation, from the square, not from anywhere else!

"THEY ARE SO AFRAID THAT THEY EVEN EMPTY THE COURTROOM"

Today, we trust ourselves and our friends enough to ask for live broadcasts in hearings. But they are so afraid that they even empty the courtroom. Continuing this coup is now treason against the nation.

I am addressing Erdoğan from here: You could have gone down in history as someone who served as Prime Minister and President for many years. But you attempted a coup, you insisted. You will go down in history as a coup plotter, not as a President, but as a junta leader!

"THE BIG TURNIP IS KNOWN, THE SMALL ONE IS ONE FIFTY"

Dear Istanbulites, we held a press conference yesterday about the small turnip and started to explain the tricks of the small turnip. Did you watch it?

Do you know the big turnip? The big turnip is known, the small one is one fifty... Do you know that too?

Those who become an apparatus in every coup, in every conspiracy, may sometimes gain benefits, even if for a short time, they may obtain positions. But the conscience of the nation does not forget these. The facts emerge one by one.

Someone who has been a civil servant for 19 years, who has not bought even a matchbox, has not drunk even a glass of water from the highest salary throughout his life, even if he saved all his salaries, which would amount to 45 million liras, real estate, apartments, and plots worth 452 million liras were found in his name! He was crushed under the documents. He couldn't answer any of them.

Today, with a screenshot, filtering some provinces of the title deed records, he showed 'I have 4 houses.' Icons indicating that 3 of these 4 houses were newly purchased were standing next to them. And instead of answering these...

Yesterday I mentioned 12 properties, I gave the ID numbers of 7 of them. When this broadcast ends, we will pass the ID numbers of all 12 to the entire press, the other 5 have also arrived. This ID number... When the ID number is entered into the system, it shows that transaction in that property. He cannot say 'The ID number is not correct.' He cannot say 'I didn't buy this, I didn't sell it later.' He only says 'I have 4.'

Look, now I am addressing him from here:

In the Avcılar, Ispartakule, Bizim Evler project, which is not visible on the screen today but which I announced yesterday, you made a property declaration in the 7th month of 2024, you paid the property tax yourself! Also, I am passing it to the press again; regarding the Mesa Istanbul houses we mentioned yesterday, today you say 'I don't have them,' I am sharing the payment schedule, the document, where you pay 3 million for the first one and 2 million installments every month, with the press as an official document of Mesa!

From here, I am clearly, clearly addressing Erdoğan: Let the assets of his dirty apparatus be disclosed. Enter the ID numbers I announced into the system and show that they do not belong to him. The state is in your hands, you cannot do it.

Two, two... List all the real estate on E-devlet. And disclose the asset declaration; the asset declaration he gave in terms of Turkish Lira, foreign currency, and gold. This nation has the right to know the money he received in return for selling the properties in his possession for two months.

You will attempt a coup, you will take these people and force them to slander. You will say, 'If you slander, you will come out and reunite with your child.' You will send a lawyer to the person whose property you seized, saying 'You will give this much.' And then you will sit there shamelessly without any hesitation.

This nation will not let you eat the rights of an orphan whose hair has not yet grown, we will not let you! We will not let you go!

On one side are those who fill their pockets, on the other are those who struggle for bread... On one side are those who conspire, on the other are those who write history in the squares, those who write history in dungeons. We, you; are the ones standing on the right side of history. To end the coup, we will hold not 99, but 999 actions if necessary, we will not stop!

In the 100th action, we will be in Çanakkale, which was not passed 111 years ago.

ÖZGÜR ÇELİK READ EKREM İMAMOĞLU'S LETTER

CHP Istanbul Provincial Chairman Özgür Çelik began his speech by commemorating the March 18 Çanakkale Victory. Highlights from Çelik's speech are as follows:

Last week in Silivri, they tried to create a perception of an empty field by flying drones over empty fields. That day I said, bring your drones to Saraçhane on March 18 and come see how the nation stands up for its will. Listen well to the voice of this square, there is no weariness, no fear, no hopelessness in this square. That ballot box will definitely come, this nation will hold them accountable once again. Those who fight for justice will win. The youth who come by overcoming the walls of fear will win. Women will win. Workers will win. Rights will win. The people will win.

Çelik shared Ekrem İmamoğlu's letter.

Ekrem İmamoğlu's letter sent from Silivri:

Hello Saraçhane, hello to the most beautiful city in the world, my dear Istanbul. A heartfelt hello from Silivri Prison to the nation's home, Saraçhane... Precious Istanbulites; my honorable, brave, beautiful-hearted fellow citizens, I greet you with respect and love. I embrace you with longing. As we come to the end of this holy month, I celebrate your Ramadan Feast and wish it brings justice, abundance, and peace to our country. Dear brothers and sisters; you have been waging a great struggle for justice and democracy for 1 year. You are defending the law and democracy, and the honor of the national will against a handful of people who have set their eyes on all the rights and freedoms provided to the citizens by the Republic and who ignore the national will. Whatever Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk said a hundred years ago, you are saying the same thing today: Sovereignty belongs unconditionally to the nation! Sovereignty belongs unconditionally to the nation! I am proud of you. I thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart, thank you, long live.”

“WE HAVE YOUTH LIKE FIRE”

“Despite all kinds of oppression, our hearts are full of hope and goodness, full of love and tolerance; while the minds of those who drag the country into poverty, injustice, and hopelessness are filled with evil, and their hearts are surrounded by fear. They know that they will never be able to win an election again under free and fair conditions. Those who have consumed all the credit given to them for a quarter of a century have consumed it. They know that they will never be able to enter the hearts of the nation again. That is why they are becoming more and more cruel to sideline their political rivals through the judiciary and to put pressure on the national will. If the tyrant has oppression, we have a heart like a lion, a head that stands tall like a mountain and does not bend, and a wrist that they could not bend in the elections. We have youth like fire who tear down all the barricades that are tried to be erected in front of democracy and our bright future. If the tyrant has oppression, we have millions of fellow citizens who stand up for the nation's home, Saraçhane, against the coup, as if protecting a sacred trust. If the tyrant has oppression, our nation, which is thirsty for justice, has a vast conscience, dignity, and wisdom.”

“EVERY GOVERNMENT IS OBLIGED TO HAND OVER THE AUTHORITY IT RECEIVED FROM THE NATION TO THE NATION”

“In this country, every government is obliged to hand over the authority it received from the nation to the nation. Governments come and go, the judgment of the nation remains. You cannot reverse the course of history with a special-purpose court established in Silivri Prison. You cannot imprison the nation's right to sovereignty with a trial that is tried to be kept away from eyes and hidden from the nation. The 'Silivri Prison Court' is not a place where justice will be served, established with the responsibility of making decisions on behalf of the nation. The 'Silivri Prison Court' is the work of an evil mind that is deathly afraid of free and fair elections and has taken refuge behind the judiciary to destroy its political rival. The case going on there is a cover sewn to hide a great political ambition that harms our country and puts our future at risk. You cannot cover up any evil with this so-called legal cover that falls apart at every turn and does not hold stitches.”

“THEIR CALCULATIONS BACKFIRED FROM THE NATION”

“The purpose of this case is not to seek the truth, to ensure justice, but the panic of escaping from election defeat. However, in such cases, the nation gives the verdict. In such cases, the nation has the final say at the ballot box. Those who thought they won a victory on March 19, 2025, and finally secured their seats, are in even greater fear and despair today. Because their calculations backfired from the nation. The nation did not accept this evil, this injustice. Now our dear nation is waiting for its day to have the final say. That day will come and whatever the nation says will happen. The nation's determination and resolve will save this country from all kinds of evil, from all kinds of trouble. Everything will be very beautiful. Ekrem İmamoğlu. Silivri Prison.”

MANSUR YAVAŞ: YOU CANNOT JUDGE ANYONE WITHOUT GÖKÇEK AND HIS FAMILY BEING JUDGED!

Ankara Metropolitan Mayor Mansur Yavaş brought messages of solidarity from Ankara and reacted harshly to the operations against mayors, procedural errors in the judiciary, and the "politics of revenge." Touching on the Gökçek era files and disinformation on television, Yavaş emphasized a fair trial.

Highlights from Mansur Yavaş's speech are as follows:

"I brought you greetings from the capital of the Republic. We came from the capital with feelings of solidarity. We came to announce to the whole world that we are behind all our mayors. Welcome, I offer my respects to all of you.

Dear Istanbulites, there is nothing that has changed from a year ago when your will was usurped until today. Unfortunately, we are in the same situation as what we said a year ago. Injustices and lawlessness continue exactly as they are. What do we want? As mayors, the people of Ankara elected me, the people of Istanbul elected Mayor Ekrem, and they elected our other mayors to serve them. We want to serve to our heart's content. Thanks to the services we provide, we want to increase public satisfaction and change the government in the nearest early election and govern this country better.

We came to duty with this claim. However, we were prevented from serving with peace of mind. These injustices, these operations are unfortunately things done to prevent us. When you look at the jobs that stand out because we did them well, the government wants to prevent them and do the same jobs themselves through public administration. They cannot. They cannot. They passed this law themselves. They gave these powers to the metropolitan cities themselves. They saw that the social assistance provided in the past was done much more fairly and humanely. They saw the policies in favor of the people and they saw the satisfaction of the people. As a result of the surveys conducted by our deputy chairman of local governments across Turkey, the satisfaction rate in local governments was 58%. This was published. Unfortunately, the operations started after it was published.

We are people without immunity. We want fair and equal law to be applied to everyone. We have no other demands. They passed a law years ago. They said that from now on, no one will be taken from their home at night. If a person's statement is to be taken, a written notification will be sent to him from the police station, and it will be stated in this notification why he is called to the police station and on what subject his statement will be taken. Where are these? Now, instead of being invited, mayors who would come immediately when called are detained by raiding houses in the early morning, handcuffed, and in a way that discredits them.

It doesn't stop there. Look, preliminary investigations are confidential. However, you see the statement given being published in the pro-government press before it even reaches the lawyers. It is published in WhatsApp groups. This is a crime. Violating the confidentiality of the preliminary investigation is a crime. In addition, while there is no one on television to defend the people who will be tried, disinformation is now being carried out under the name of opposing ideas, and the trials are being influenced. Discussing a matter in the judiciary on television in this way and declaring it guilty in advance is officially a crime. No action is taken against them. However, when someone defends Mayor Ekrem and our other mayors, it is as if defending a criminal, people who have not been convicted are declared guilty this time, despite the provision in our constitution that no one can be declared guilty without a finalized judicial decision. Twitter accounts are closed, blocked, photos disappear. Where is justice?

I said we want equal law. After I took office in Ankara in 2019, after Mayor Ekrem took office here, we opened the files belonging to the old period. We opened them on behalf of the public, on behalf of the people, and we transferred the complaints we made to the courthouse. They didn't even call these famous people to testify. You see it on television. The person whom our Chairman declared as a rotten seed has a 600 million lira villa. Grinning shamelessly, he says 'It's not worth 600, I'll give it for 400.' A person who has never worked a day in his life, has never worked with insurance, has never employed anyone, has never paid taxes, buys a 600 million lira villa. Politicians must account for their wealth. No one asks them anything. If public damage is in question, we see it on television every day. When those who have kilograms of gold coming out of their safes and their statements regarding the foundations they committed corruption with are out there, they are not even called to testify. What kind of law is this? If you are from the Republican People's Party, take them immediately, handcuff them, throw them in jail, do not take any of the defenses they give into account; do not even take the statements of other people. I say: You cannot judge anyone without Gökçek and his family being judged! You cannot judge any mayor!

First of all, they removed the limits of detention according to the law they passed themselves. Despite the provision that those who do not have an upper limit of this much, those who do not have a lower limit of this much cannot be arrested, they arrest whoever comes in front of them. In addition, they force many people to slander with the threat of arrest. This has no place in law.

Another issue we see in the trials is: 'He said this, he said that.' Now on one side there is the accuser, on the other side there is the one who says the opposite. The person who accuses is the person declared as the gang leader. Well, who is the accused? Our mayor who has never been to a police station in his life and was elected by the votes of the vast majority of the people. By what right do you prioritize the statement of that gang leader over our mayors and throw them in jail? This has no place in law.

We are in holy days. I don't believe they will listen at all, but the Surah Al-Ma'idah says: 'Let not the hatred of a people prevent you from being just.' Maybe you understand from this. The work you do, as a result of the hatred you feel, is to throw people into jail innocently, to act unjustly. You will certainly account for this in the other world. Yes, those who go to Friday prayers know, the imam completes his words in the sermon: 'When you judge, God Almighty commands you to judge with justice,' he says. Where is judging with justice, where?

Therefore, dear Istanbulites, as mayors, we work harder as we see these unlawful practices. We want to increase public satisfaction more so that, hopefully, the government in Turkey will change in the earliest possible election, and we will definitely bring the system where the rule of law is real, which is fair to everyone, where no one is afraid of being judged, and where they are sure while being judged. We will definitely eliminate the politics of revenge. When your door is knocked on in the early morning, don't think that the police have come, don't worry at all, thinking whether someone in need has come, the days when we will open the door without any concern will come. We promise these to Turkey. Hopefully, we will realize a legal system that is bound to the constitution, the rule of law, and applies to everyone together. I say you collected the evidence. You collected the evidence so you opened the case, the indictment is there. Why are you still keeping them in custody? Why are you still keeping them in custody? Release them, apply judicial measures. Do not steal from the lives of these people. Moreover, we have mayors who are sick. Doesn't your conscience ache at all that you are still keeping them inside?

Yes, dear Istanbulites, we came here today to express our feelings of solidarity. We are always behind Mayor Ekrem and our other mayors. We trust them. We want them to be tried fairly, to be tried without arrest, and hopefully, we promise a free, independent Turkey where everyone lives in peace in the earliest possible election."

DİLEK KAYA İMAMOĞLU: WE WILL NOT GIVE UP, WE WILL NOT BACK DOWN, WE WILL NOT LET IT BE FORGOTTEN!

Dilek Kaya İmamoğlu, wife of IMM Mayor and Presidential Candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu, took the stage accompanied by the slogans of thousands. In her speech, İmamoğlu made harsh criticisms of the justice system and also made a historic call to all political party leaders.

Highlights from Dilek İmamoğlu's speech are as follows:

"Dear friends, our valuable companions, our precious citizens; seeing you here in such large numbers today, feeling the energy you carry, seeing the support you give to our democratic future despite all the pressure and all the lawlessness, believe me, it gives us all great strength for the future of our country. Thank you, long live!

Your presence shows that human dignity is still standing. Your presence shows that the sense of justice has not yet been exhausted in this country. Your presence shows the silent but powerful will of people who do not take a step back despite fear.

I wish we had gathered here today for a good occasion. I wish we were talking about justice being served, not injustice. I wish we were talking about reunion, not separation. I wish we were talking about a future full of hope, not pressure. But our agenda is injustice. Our agenda is pressure. Our agenda is the weight of lawlessness on society. Today we are talking about the common bleeding wound of our country here.

I am not here today only as a wife, as a mother. I am here today as the voice of those who are wronged, those whose voices are tried to be suppressed, and millions whose sense of justice has been bruised. Because we all know that the process we are going through is not a real legal process. This process is wounding society's sense of trust, testing its belief in democracy, and shaking its bond with the law.

We have been going through a very difficult test for a year. We have been separated from our loved ones for a year. We have been waiting for a year, we have been patient for a year, we have been standing tall with both longing and hope for a year.

Dear friends, what happened on the morning of March 19 has been etched into the memory of this nation. When the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor, elected by the votes of 16 million Istanbulites, was knocked on at dawn and Ekrem İmamoğlu was forcibly taken from us, a blow was dealt to our country's sense of justice. This is not just for our family, but a dagger stabbed into our country's law and democracy.

And as we saw that the judicial process did not work healthily in the time that passed, the question marks in the society's memory grew, and anxieties increased. The baseless allegations put forward further shook society's trust in the judiciary. Neither our people nor our country deserve this. In a process that produces such heavy consequences, while there are such big question marks, how will society's sense of justice be protected? We must work for the answer to this question in the coming period.

Not just for ourselves, not just for families whose loved ones are in prison, but for all our people. Turkey is our common homeland. This country cannot be left to the monopoly of any of them, any political view, any position. Everyone has a right to every inch of this country's land. Everyone has a share in this country's future. No one can see themselves above this nation. No one can bend justice according to their own political calculations.

What happened during the court process creates a deep resentment with all kinds of arbitrariness and recklessness. Our people see that what we are experiencing today is not a real legal process. They also see, know, and record in their memory how politics puts pressure on the state's institutions and mechanisms.

Dear friends, for a year, not only those who are arrested are being punished. Families are also being punished, children are also being punished; mothers, fathers, wives, brothers, and sisters are also being punished.

Most importantly of all, you are being punished, all of Turkey is being punished! There are families waiting on the roads to prison, there are those who are exhausted, there are those struggling with illness, there are those coming from distant cities. There are those who cannot find a place to stay at night. There are people trying to fit their days, weeks, and hopes into a minute of visitation. And it's not enough, courtrooms are also being made a part of injustice. Audience seats are kept limited, some families cannot even follow the case. People are left alone with uncertainty, not with a sense of justice. While the trial is ongoing, families continue to be punished.

Our months, our days are being stolen from us over a case that should not exist. These practices we are subjected to are against our constitution. They are also against the international obligations to which our country is a party. They are also against the most basic human rights. Because justice and the rule of law should be visible not only in court decisions; but in procedure, attitude, and openness.

There are people in courtrooms waving to their loved ones, making heart signs from afar, trying to satisfy their longing by looking at each other. Even that tiny hand movement, that silent sign of love is not tolerated. There is a mother there, there is a wife there, there is a child there. Look at these small moments that are not tolerated and ask yourselves; how will society trust justice in this picture?

But despite all this pressure and difficulty, we are standing tall. Families have been standing tall with fortitude for a year, standing tall with patience, standing tall with dignity, standing tall with determination!

This solidarity is a silent but very powerful resistance. We are not fighting only for our loved ones; we are fighting for justice, we are fighting for the rule of law. For this reason, we demanded that the hearings be broadcast live. We wanted our nation to see the truth with their own eyes. This call was made many times but did not find a response. Why is transparency avoided? Why is the openness that will relieve society's trust not allowed?

The most important and necessary step to be taken is the trial of Ekrem İmamoğlu and his friends without arrest. Because the essential thing in law is trial without arrest. Because justice is not pre-punishment. Because justice is not a tool of political competition. We see that this is not being done. Therefore, I want to repeat the two calls I made before from here today:

First; legal experts with merit from the law commissions of all political parties, especially the AK Party, MHP, and DEM Party, should follow this process closely. They should participate in court processes as observers. They should directly tell the public what they see. Thus, everyone can see the truth clearly, and no one will have any question marks in their minds.

Second; the chairmen of political parties should also attend the hearing where Ekrem İmamoğlu's defense will be made. Because this issue is no longer just a case. This issue is an issue that concerns society's sense of justice.

Dear friends, now I want to address you as a wife; only on my own behalf, as I feel... I have carried this burden with my children for a year. I have never stopped fighting for a year, I have not lost my faith even once. What makes me stand up every morning is neither fear nor anger. The strength that lifted me and kept me standing was knowing that we are right and that Ekrem İmamoğlu's faith in this country would not be in vain. We are right!

Yes, we are right, that's why we can carry this heavy burden. We are speaking, we are fighting for everyone who wants to trust the law in this country. We are speaking for everyone who wants to leave a fairer country to their children. We are speaking for everyone who wants to live with legal security, not with fear. We will not let them scare us! We will not bow to pressure!

We will not bow to pressure, we will not surrender to silence. Because we rely on righteousness, not anger. We act with courage, not fear. We aim for light, not darkness. This country is all of ours. The demand for justice is all of ours. The future is all of ours. And we will continue to speak and stand in solidarity until justice is served in this country. We will not give up! We will not back down! We will not forget! We will not let it be forgotten!"

ARZU ÇERKEZOĞLU: THEY UNDERESTIMATE THE STRUGGLE ACCUMULATION OF THESE PEOPLE

Arzu Çerkezoğlu, Chairman of DİSK, who took the stage at one of the most enthusiastic moments of the rally, addressed the tens of thousands filling Saraçhane. Criticizing Turkey's current economic and political picture, Çerkezoğlu attacked the government through the struggle for democracy and labor:

"Palaces, sultanates collapse; one day the blood will be silent, the oppression will end... The political power that has lost its social support is trying to maintain its power through pressure and lawlessness. The political power is trying to break the wrist of what it cannot defeat at the ballot box with the stick of the judiciary. With a politicized judiciary, they are challenging the principle of 'Sovereignty belongs unconditionally to the nation.'

Will we allow them to turn our country into a country of women who are victims of violence, children who go to school hungry, and youth who have lost hope for their future? No! Understand now, we say no! Release our elected mayors, politicians, unionists, and journalists.

Democracy is the worker's bread! If there is no democracy, there is no bread. Let those who see pressure and oppression as the guarantee of their own power know that; there is no power greater than the people who produce all the values of this country. There is no salvation alone, either all together or none of us!"