Ali Mahir Başarır makes a statement: 'Detainees are being forced into slander, not defense'

Republican People's Party (CHP) Group Deputy Chairman Ali Mahir Başarır made statements in front of the Parliament's press entrance.

Speaking about the photograph that emerged regarding the hearing today of CHP's presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu, who is being held in Silivri Prison, Başarır said, 'Today, we saw shameful scenes in Silivri again. In fact, this country did not want to remember Silivri or the Silivri courts. But I say with regret that today's images, the images of our presidential candidate Mr. Ekrem İmamoğlu being tried, reminded us of the scenes from the Balyoz, Kumpas, Yassıada, and Zincirbozan cases. Very bad things are happening in the country. Especially in the judiciary. The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office is pursuing organized schemes and trying to operate them by sticking to a script.'

'THE 50TH CRIMINAL COURT OF FIRST INSTANCE WILL DECIDE ON THE FILES OF 50 PEOPLE'

Ali Mahir Başarır noted the following:

'Now look, I want to touch upon three issues. After the operation conducted against the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, 50 people were detained. Many of them were arrested. Our lawyers appealed the arrests on different dates. While the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office should have delivered all the files to the criminal judgeship of peace within three days, it waited for 10 days in an arbitrary manner. It committed a crime. At the end of 10 days, it delivered all the files to the court at the same time, and these appeals fell to the 50th Criminal Court of First Instance.

However, if it had given the appeals made on different dates to the courts on the same day and at the same minute, many courts would have made decisions regarding these appeals. The organized scheme starts here. Ignoring the criminal procedure laws and the constitution, the Chief Prosecutor, who is obliged to send the appeal to the court for evaluation within a three-day period, waits for 10 days and gives them all at once. Now, the 50th Criminal Court of First Instance will decide on the files of 50 people. We will all see what the result will be.'

'THE PEOPLE BEING ARRESTED ARE BEING FORCED INTO SLANDER, NOT DEFENSE'

'The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office is doing very bad things. While our Beşiktaş Mayor and his friends were being detained and arrested, Ali İhsan Aktaş... Who is he? He was detained and arrested as the leader of that criminal organization. Now, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office is meeting with this person and his lawyers. They are saying, "If you make statements against the IMM and our party's convention, you will be released." I am addressing Turkey from here; the people being arrested in prison are being forced into slander, not defense. Again, who is the person who bought Flash TV and was arrested for money laundering immediately after buying Flash TV? Erkan Kork.

The same things are being done to him. They are saying, "If you testify against Ekrem İmamoğlu, if you accuse him, things will go well for you." Look, these are not based on hearsay, but on statements conveyed to us by the parties themselves. Organized schemes. The lead actor of this is the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor. He is the person who is destroying democracy in this country by using the law as a tool. Unfortunately, the scenarios are the same as in the Balyoz and Ergenekon periods, the techniques applied are the same, only the perpetrators and actors are different. We are addressing our country from here; we are taking note of all three situations. If these individuals being tried for these crimes come forward days or months after giving their statements and testify against our mayors or our President, either as secret witnesses or openly, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor is complicit in all these crimes.'

'A CRIME COMMITTED BY THOSE WHO CREATE THE CLIMATE OF PRESSURE'

Responding to questions from members of the press after his statement, Başarır answered a question regarding Zonguldak Mayor Tahsin Erdem giving a statement to the prosecutor's office as follows: 'Our Zonguldak Mayor, like the youth and citizens of this country, held a march due to the plot and coup carried out against the Istanbul Municipality. The prosecutor, who was disturbed by this, summoned him and his family to give a statement. This is not a crime, but his being summoned to give a statement and the actions of those who create this climate of pressure is a crime,' he said.