Özgür Özel's 'Lausanne' reaction: If Abdullah Öcalan's initials are under the statement, Erdoğan and Bahçeli's signatures are there like a tughra

Republican People's Party (CHP) Chairman Özgür Özel attended the commemoration ceremony in Manisa on the 11th anniversary of the Soma massacre, which went down in history as Turkey's largest mining disaster.

After visiting his party's Soma district headquarters there, Özel then met with the family of Deniz Demirtaş, one of the 5 lieutenants dismissed from the Turkish Armed Forces due to the "We are Mustafa Kemal's soldiers" slogans following the sword oath ceremony at the Military Academy. Özel later visited the family of 17-year-old Alperen Enes Ural, who lost his life after falling from a construction site where he was working as an intern under the MESEM program. 

Following this, Özgür Özel attended the mawlid at the Grand Mosque and then answered questions from members of the press in front of the Soma Municipality building. 

"WE ARE IN A PROCESS WHERE THOSE WHO SAID 'MAY OUR HEARTS WITHER IF WE FORGET' 11 YEARS AGO HAVE FORGOTTEN SOMA"

"Let me briefly state what we have done from this morning until now. In Soma, where 301 of our miners lost their lives, we went to a television program in the morning where we talked about the history of this matter and how it reached today. We listened to the mawlid recited for our martyrs. We went to visit the family of our brother who died after falling from a construction site where he was made to work on the weekend as part of the MESEM project. He is still waiting for us here. Shortly, we will come together with a family who lost their daughter and grandchild in the Kartalkaya fire. We went to visit the family of one of our lieutenants dismissed from the army, Lieutenant Deniz. So much pain, so much suffering, so many get-well-soon wishes, so many condolences fit into these few short hours, or rather, they don't fit... Soma is such a place." he said.

Özel continued as follows:

"OUR MARCH IN SOMA IS AN EXAMPLE"

"Before making a statement here, I asked 'Where is Ecevit?', and Ecevit came. Ecevit is the symbolic name of Soma, who has never lowered the flag in his hand during Soma's worst or best days, who has carried this flag for 50 years, and who has walked by our side since I first came to Soma for political activities. Today, there is a Republican People's Party Mayor in Soma; Sercan Okur. We received very low votes here. We saw very bad days. But we never held a grudge against Soma, we never said a word against Soma, and we did not let anyone else say anything either. There came a day when we received 60 percent of the votes in Soma. There came a day when we received 60 percent in the Manisa Metropolitan Municipality. Therefore, we would like to show our march in Soma as an example to those who smile when they win an election and become aggressive when they lose, to those who treat the national will that votes for them as a crown when they win but try to topple it when they cannot, to those who do not risk leaving with the ballot box they came with, and to those who get off the democracy tram they boarded at the first election they lose. A political party's democratic nature is not measured by what it does when it wins an election. You will look at what it does when it loses. If a politician calls themselves a democrat when they win, you should wait to see them on the day they lose. You have seen our days of defeat. God is my witness, you are witnesses, Soma is a witness, Manisa is a witness, Turkey is a witness. We never turned our backs on the ballot box. We never turned our backs on the nation. We never found fault in the nation. We never, ever attacked our rivals in an irregular manner. We did not set up traps for them, nor did we have them set up. But you all see what state Mr. Tayyip gets into when he wins every election and then loses one, and what state Mr. Bahçeli gets into when his alliance is defeated. On the anniversary of this pain, 11 years after the day Yusuf Yerkel kicked Erdal Kocabıyık on the ground, and having endured the words of those who looked at the election results in Soma and spoke arrogantly to Soma, we have come to embrace each other once again on this day of pain. Welcome, all of you. We are in a process where those who said 'May our hearts wither if we forget' 11 years ago have forgotten Soma. Greetings to those who have not forgotten. We have seen many who chased ratings from the top of the mountain in Soma and turned their backs on Soma when there were no more ratings to be had in these matters. Greetings to those who did not turn their backs, to those who turned their faces. Welcome, all of you. You are welcome." 

"ON ONE SIDE A MASS WORK ACCIDENT, ON THE OTHER THE LOSS OF OUR 18-YEAR-OLD CHILD..."

"To ensure that such disasters do not happen again, the mother of Alperen, who lost his life in a work accident last year, was crying in front of us a moment ago. She was grieving. She said, 'We did not send our child there for money, but to have a profession.' She said, 'The families are not after money. Our child was after his profession, after his future.' Today, at the point we have reached, I once again remind everyone of occupational health and safety, both for this massive work accident and for the loss of a little child under the age of 18... Safety first, then profit. Workers must be healthy to work. They will earn, they will make money. I remind you of these principles once again. We tell all workers, 'The worst union is better than no union. Definitely organize in a good union, a union that will defend your rights.' Because if workers are alone, they cannot defend themselves, but when they are together, they will definitely do the right and good thing together. From here, in the presence of the mine workers of Soma, I once again salute the Turkish working class. I commemorate everyone who lost their lives in work accidents with mercy. I wish patience to their families once again." 

"THEY WILL BE THE ONES TO ACCOUNT FOR THAT STATEMENT"

Responding to journalists' questions, Chairman Özgür Özel gave the following answer to the question about the government both conducting the resolution process and accepting the 'city consensus' as a crime and carrying out operations against CHP municipalities:

"On one side, we are a party that has maintained its consistent line and historical consistency for decades regarding the issue they call 'Terror-Free Turkey,' which today we see the People's Alliance talking about—a process that started only after Mr. Devlet spoke, Mr. Tayyip waited, and it was ensured that the risks were concentrated on Mr. Devlet. We do not want terror; we are against terror and terrorists. We want peace; we want mothers not to cry. We want this whether they are Turkish or Kurdish. We want the money spent on terror, the money spent on fighting terror, to be spent on the nation. It is Tayyip Erdoğan who made certain openings in the past, alienated the nation, and failed. Tayyip Erdoğan, who called those who opposed him in those days 'They feed on blood, they are vampires,' is today with Devlet Bahçeli in this process where Bahçeli is walking a step or two ahead. Bahçeli, who treated us like terrorists because we said 'We do not want blood, we do not want terror, we want peace' back then, is now walking at the very front. Tayyip Erdoğan, who did not take the warnings of the Republican People's Party into account back then, is still not taking them into account today. Those who said unspeakable things to each other yesterday have come together today. And you see, they have run out of enemies. They have established a dialogue and a relationship with the DEM Party—which I have no objection to—which they previously accused us of 'being DEM-ified' for. Now they need an enemy, and they have chosen the CHP as their enemy. They are heaping praise on the party founded by Abdullah Öcalan—and the PKK is the party founded by Abdullah Öcalan—and its founder, while trying to distance themselves from the party founded by Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, its founder, and its current administration. We leave this to the discretion of our nation. We are in the right place where we stand. We did not run away from the military, nor did we shy away from any sacrifice for this nation. If necessary, we gave our lives. There were days they provoked us, they unleashed their own workers and municipal employees on us at martyrs' funerals. We did not bend an inch. We did not take a step back. We did not speak a word less. Whatever we said that day, we are at the same point today. They all turned around and are coming toward the point where the CHP says, 'democratic solution, terror-free Turkey, and equality and democracy for all.' It is clear what the words 'We did not bargain, we did not do this or that' have evolved into now. As a party that founded the Republic, I am not the addressee of a terrorist organization's statements in yesterday's declarations. But these statements are being consulted with the MIT, every word is being discussed, and there are many words in the statements that are said to be 'awaited' regarding the founding will of the Republic, Lausanne, the Constitution, and the past. I am not the addressee of any of those words. I am not the one to answer any of those words. Ask Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who says 'It is being discussed with the MIT, every word is designed, every step is taken together,' about the expressions of a terrorist organization; ask Devlet Bahçeli. I do not have my signature or responsibility under that statement. If Abdullah Öcalan's initials are under the statement, Erdoğan and Bahçeli's signatures are there like a tughra. They will bear the responsibility; they will be the ones to account for that statement. We are on the side that advocates for the end of terror, for mothers not to cry, for faces to smile, and for the country to develop rapidly."

"A COMMISSION MUST BE ESTABLISHED IN THE TBMM"

Özel, “What path will be followed in the coming process?” he answered the question as follows:

“A comprehensive commission must be established in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey without excluding any party, and everything must be done through legal regulations... Without resorting to the convenience of ‘let’s change the Constitution’ or the cunning of ‘let’s change the Constitution’ to engage in other bargains, by calling and listening to the families of martyrs, veterans, and victimized families, without doing things that would make it impossible to look anyone in the eye, without offending anyone in this country, without leaving anyone on the sidelines, and without neglecting anyone, democratic steps must be taken. In a process where preparations are being made to release individuals convicted of terrorism, while 11 years ago, people like Tayfun Kahraman, who is imprisoned for Gezi, our friends, Can Atalay, who is not released despite being a member of parliament, Kavala, who is kept inside despite the ECHR saying ‘he should be released,’ our Republican People’s Party Metropolitan Mayor, our mayors, Ekrem İmamoğlu, and municipal council members were all making efforts to end these debates. Sir, one person close to the DEM Party came to the municipal council, so the DEM members voted. You will appoint a trustee for terrorism. Then, at the end of the process involving the head of the terrorist organization, you will praise the head of the terrorist organization and offer your congratulations. But you will hold a Republican People’s Party district municipality accountable for a single DEM municipal council member. These are not things that should happen. There is a need for holistic democracy. You cannot have freedom on this side of the country, on this side of the issue, and ‘the biggest turnip’ on the other; such a thing cannot be. Everything must be solved on a democratic ground all at once. One must call out here once again that, look, this is a channel that runs on our taxes. TRT is the apple of our eye. TRT exists not to amplify slanders, to tell one-sided lies, or to repeat them in the evening, but to deliver the most accurate information as quickly as possible. For this reason, we attach great importance to the live broadcast on TRT so that all questions asked to Mr. İmamoğlu and the answers given can be heard by the nation. We love the employees of TRT, and we say to those who manage TRT, ‘Come to your senses.’”

“ERDOĞAN IS TRYING TO GET THE PERSON WHO OVERTURNED THE DECISION ELECTED TO THE HSK”

Following his statements, CHP leader Özel participated in the “Mine Martyrs Commemoration March” with citizens in Soma.

Responding to journalists' questions during the march, Özel said the following:

“Unfortunately, the state’s intervention saved the murderers here. When the court decision taken was appealed to the Court of Cassation, the relevant chamber of the Court of Cassation had overturned this decision. It had said, ‘You cannot use anything other than probable intent here. Do not bother with negligence and reductions. If you are not going to use probable intent here, where will you use it?’ and sent it back with an overturning letter. Politics intervened that day. The decision was not sent from the Court of Cassation to the court in Akhisar, to the file of the Soma case, for 5.5 months. At that time, one of them was Kenan İpek, who had served as a minister in the past, and one was a name that Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is trying to get elected to the Council of Judges and Prosecutors today, a name whose name is in Parliament today. A total of three people were brought to that chamber. The 5-0 decision was sent back to the chamber by the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office without being sent here for 5.5 months. It was overturned 3-2 and approved in such a simple way that they would save the job by serving 5.5 days of sentence per head. They were all saved.”

"WE HAVE A VOW; THIS CASE WILL BE RETRIED"

"Right now, only two people are in prison. They are the lawyers for these families, Can Atalay and Selçuk Kozağaçlı. Apart from them, no one else is currently in prison. Dilruba was 4 years old when her father died. Now she has turned 15. Selçuk Kozağaçlı and Can Atalay, who defended Dilruba for free that day, are inside. They threw the lawyers who stood by these brothers and sisters into prison. They sent those who killed their fathers, killed their husbands, left these women widowed in this way, and left children fatherless back among us after just 5.5 days. That is why, look, everyone in Soma is shouting 'Rights, law, and justice.' We have a vow. I swear this case will be retried, and the criminals will be punished. Not just those who operated the mine or failed to inspect it properly; those who intervened in this case to ensure 'justice is not served,' those who changed the panel at the Court of Cassation, those who overturned that decision, and those who stood behind the criminals instead of the victims will be held accountable. Their political connections will be held accountable. Let them not rest easy, there is little time left. They have time until the next election."

"SOMA'S COAL WILL BURN THE AKP"

Following the press statement, Özgür Özel participated in the Miners' Martyrs Commemoration March, walking with a banner bearing the names of those who lost their lives in the mining disaster. The march to the Miners' Monument proceeded with slogans such as "Do not forget the 301, do not let them be forgotten," "The 301 will be accounted for," "There is no salvation alone, either all together or none of us," "Soma's coal will burn the AKP," and "The day will come, the tide will turn, the murderers will answer to the people."