Victory Party Secretary General Cezmi Polat speaks out

Making a statement following the detention of Victory Party Chairman Ümit Özdağ, Victory Party Secretary General Cezmi Polat stated that the actions of the AKP would not intimidate them.

Polat made the following remarks:

"We are the owners of this country; we will protect the country and the republic. You would have to kill us to silence us. As a party, we will bring all unfair practices to the attention of the Turkish public until the very end.

The Victory Party, with its torch and its esteemed Chairman, is at the command of the Turkish nation, and we will continue to do whatever the interests of the Turkish nation require.

Our instruction to our organization is: as young people defending your country, do what you must, stay away from provocateurs, and do not engage in impulsive actions outside of the statements made by the headquarters.

As long as the Victory Party exists, we will speak the truth and we will not stop speaking it."

PRESS RELEASE FROM THE PARTY

Beyond the statements made, a press release was issued by the Victory Party.

The following statements were included in the press release regarding the detention of Prof. Dr. Ümit Özdağ:

Today, on the morning of Monday, January 20, 2025, news appeared in the media that an investigation had been launched by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office against our Chairman, Prof. Dr. Ümit Özdağ, due to a speech he gave at the Antalya Provincial Chairmen's Meeting.

Following this, Prof. Dr. Ümit Özdağ was detained in Ankara at 19:58 while he was having dinner at a restaurant.

Following the detention procedure, he was subjected to a medical examination at the State Railways Hospital and was then abruptly transferred to Istanbul without being allowed to make any preparations.

The transfer of our Chairman, who is under state protection with three bodyguards, in this manner is intended to discredit him. The judiciary has now become politicized and is being used as a tool of intimidation. Our Chairman is currently being transferred to Istanbul.

Dear citizens,

The launch of an investigation by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office for words expressed at the meeting held in Antalya is seen as a completely suspicious initiative.

The words in question by our esteemed Chairman were expressed as a response to the words uttered by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in his capacity as AKP Chairman at his party's Mersin provincial congress. Therefore, the statements subject to the investigation constitute freedom of expression and criticism within the context of Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution and Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights. In this respect, this declaration represents the common view of the members of the Presidential Council, all Victory Party members, and millions of our citizens.

This detention operation coincides with the time when the 2nd 'Opening' (process) and the bloody terrorist leader of the PKK were invited to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM). In this process, it is significant that Prof. Dr. Ümit Özdağ, who defends our national unitary state, is being targeted.

While attempts are being made to release the baby-killer Öcalan from prison, the detention of Prof. Dr. Ümit Özdağ is not only a legal travesty but also an attack targeting the conscience of the Great Turkish nation.

The Victory Party and our leader Prof. Dr. Ümit Özdağ, with the strength and power they draw from Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and our heroic veterans, will unhesitatingly resist all kinds of unlawful attempts and pressure.

We view the detention in question as a war declared against our leader, who defends the 'opening', amnesty for terrorism, and the national unitary state, and against the integrity of the great Turkish nation.

Just as our ancestors fought self-sacrificingly under the most adverse conditions while our Republic was being founded, today our leader Prof. Dr. Ümit Özdağ and we, the members of the Victory Party, will fight with the same perseverance, determination, and patriotism.

From now on, every street, avenue, and neighborhood will be a legal ground for the struggle for us and the parliament.

As our Chairman stated, you can only silence us by killing us!

Long live the Turkish nation,

Long live our national unitary state.

How happy is the one who says 'I am a Turk'!