CHP Minister's harsh reaction to Yerlikaya: 'You have turned the entire police force into a hub for sects and cults'

As the 2025 budget negotiations continue in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Murat Bakan, CHP Deputy Chairman responsible for Interior Policies and MP for İzmir, spoke on the Ministry of Interior's budget.

"YOU HAVE TURNED THE ENTIRE POLICE FORCE INTO A HUB FOR SECTS AND CULTS"

 Stating that "You have left Soylu behind," CHP's Murat Bakan compared Soylu and Yerlikaya, and expressed that the police force has been left to the mercy of sects, saying: "When you became Minister, I stood up here and said: 'Nothing can be worse than Soylu, but that doesn't make you successful either.' But you have surpassed Soylu in one aspect, in a negative sense. I fought a lot with Soylu during his term as Minister; my former MP colleagues know this, I always criticized him. In my 2022 budget speech, I said exactly this: 'All appointments, assignments, and promotions in the General Directorate of Security are made entirely according to the balance of sects and cults. Look, the Menzil, Okuyucu, Yazıcı, Erzincan group, İsmailağa sect... I am warning you here, Süleyman Soylu, we have seen in the past what those who serve their masters have done to this country, and we will never allow it again.' Now I turn to you; there was a balance, however small, during the Soylu era; alongside all those sectarians and cultists, there were secular, nationalist, patriotic directors, and Alevi provincial police chiefs. Now none of them remain; you have turned the entire force into sectarians and cultists. You know very well who I am talking about and which groups I am referring to. Now, I am warning you here, Ali Yerlikaya: We saw what those who serve their masters tried to do to this country on July 15. We will never allow this again. A civil servant only takes orders from their superior, not from a sect sheikh or leader; they only owe allegiance to the state. A civil servant is only bound by the Constitution, the law, and the homeland; they are not bound to their sheikh or leader." he said.

"WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY ABOUT POLICE SUICIDES?"

Drawing attention to police suicides in his speech, Murat Bakan said, "The fiancé is responsible for a police officer's suicide, the family is responsible, the national economy is responsible; Ali Yerlikaya has no responsibility! This is your budget presentation plan that you see here; there are 13 items here; when you remove the budget figures, institutional capacity, and administrative services, 8 out of 10 basic items are about counter-terrorism, public order, organized crime, and the fight against drugs... All of these are the subject of the Police and Gendarmerie. Is there any mention of the police in this budget? Is there any mention of the gendarmerie? There is neither police nor gendarmerie in this budget. You do not concern yourself with the troubles of the police and the gendarmerie. Why do I say this? We know from the answers you gave to our parliamentary questions and the answers you gave to the questions our friends asked in the commission. What do you say about the suicides? 'I made a classification. Family reasons, engagement, wedding problems, cryptocurrency, excessive debt, romantic relationships, psychological reasons, depression...' and you go on. Mr. Minister, you are having difficulty grasping the situation. Are these problems only experienced by police officers or the gendarmerie? Do other professional groups not experience these problems? Does everyone who breaks off an engagement commit suicide? Our question is, why do police and gendarmerie officers commit suicide more than any other professional group? Do working conditions have no effect? Why is the police officer you say 'committed suicide due to depression' depressed? Does the pressure from superiors have no effect on this? Why does a police officer or gendarmerie officer who commits suicide for economic reasons experience this? Is this job that simple? As the Minister of Interior, you say in the commission: 'They broke off the engagement, said 'You're mine...' and boom, they committed suicide. What can I say to that?' How can you say such a thing? The fiancé is responsible for a police officer's suicide, the family is responsible, the national economy is responsible; Ali Yerlikaya has no responsibility! In what area do you take responsibility? You share the routine operations that the police have been doing for a century on your social media every day; when there is a terrorist attack on TUSAŞ, you publish a condolence message just like us." he stated in his remarks.

SUICIDE NOTE OF POLICE OFFICER READ ALOUD

Reading the note of the police officer who committed suicide to Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, Minister Bakan said, "I am reading to you the suicide note that you claim 'does not exist'; does it exist, Mr. Minister? You said exactly this in the commission: 'There is not a single letter saying I did this because of these working hours! If that were the case, the prosecutor would summon us!' You are so out of touch with the issue. A police officer does not say 'I am committing suicide because of working conditions'; working conditions drive a police officer to depression. Furthermore, there is someone who actually said this. Police Officer Murat Baş says in the note he left behind: 'The suspension of my well-deserved retirement and the injustice of the second mandatory assignment (şark) tired me out, fed me up, and made me lose hope in life. I always followed the rules, but those who govern the state did not. I waited until the last moment, thinking that if a circular were issued, I would retire and get rid of this cursed assignment. I was managed by Interior Ministers—listen carefully—who never did any good for their officers. The irregularity of working conditions—listen to this part—constant arbitrary extra duties, endless shifts... I apologize for upsetting you. Because my heart is sensitive, I could not call any friends or relatives to say goodbye.' So, I am reading to you the suicide note that you claim 'does not exist'; does it exist, Mr. Minister? I will send it to you after I finish my speech." he said, launching a scathing attack on Yerlikaya.

"747 MILLION CANNABIS PLANTS ARE BEING CULTIVATED IN TURKEY"

The Minister drew attention to data on the fight against drugs and stated, "According to your own data, 747 million cannabis plants are being cultivated in Turkey over an area of 1,493 square kilometers. You have conducted 41,000 operations in ten months; I congratulate you, I applaud you; this must be a world record. However, the number of detainees is 29,738. That means you have conducted almost 2 operations per criminal. These figures show either that you are exaggerating the operations or that you are unsuccessful in them. You have caught half a criminal per operation. So, what is the amount of drugs seized? 112 million cannabis plants in ten months; is this a success? It is not. If you ask 'Why?', the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime says: '85-90 percent of produced drugs cannot be seized.' Let's assume we are very successful and caught 15 percent. How much does that amount to? It shows that 747 million cannabis plants are being cultivated in Turkey over an area of 1,493 square kilometers; this is the figure you provided. According to your data, Mr. Minister, this means an area the size of Kilis is being used for drug production. The figures you announced show that Turkey is not just a drug route, but a highway, and at the same time, it has become a production center. It used to be known only as a drug route. Now, 10-12-year-old children in the mountain villages of İzmir, as well as in the villages of Van and Çaldıran, are using synthetic drugs. The issue is no longer just seizing drugs, but preventing them from entering Turkey and being produced here." he used the expressions.

"WE HAVE BECOME EXPORTERS OF CRIME AND CRIMINALS"

Reminding that the country was supposed to export high technology, the MP said, 'We have become exporters of crime and criminals,' and continued his remarks as follows:

"What is the situation in the fight against organized crime? Similar. Organized crime is no longer the work of large organizations or major criminal networks; there is a criminal organization or gang in every neighborhood; they are popping up like mushrooms. There are criminal organizations that challenge the state and support on social media the scoundrel who martyred our police officer Şeyma Yılmaz, which broke all our hearts. During your ministry, leaders of criminal organizations are broadcasting live on social media. Meanwhile, cyber security tracks and opens investigations into police colleagues who defend the rights of the police, instead of tracking them. Mr. Minister, let alone preventing criminal organizations in Turkey, we have reached the point of exporting crime and criminals to the world. Turkish criminal organizations are settling their scores in France, Spain, and Greece; just a few days ago, 4 Turkish citizens were killed while sleeping in Georgia. On the other hand, this place has become a haven for international criminal organizations; I am not saying this, INTERPOL and EUROPOL are. We were supposed to export high technology, but we have become exporters of crime and criminals. Let no one tell us the fairy tale that the Ministry of Interior is successful in the fight against drugs and organized crime; this matter has reached a point that requires the total struggle of the state."

"LET THE MASK FALL AND THE TRUE FACE BE REVEALED"

Touching upon Turkey's relations with Syria, which has come under the control of HTS, and migration control, the MP said, "Let's come to the issue of migration... First of all, you can neither prevent those entering nor those leaving. On what basis do I say this? Two weeks ago, I went to the border villages of Özalp and Saray in Van. Not a single soul asked me anything while I was going to or coming from a village a few kilometers from the border, and no one even knew I was a member of parliament. There are 2 checkpoints, but no control. An illegal migrant crossing the border can walk freely to Van and from there to anywhere they want. We thought departures were secure, that's what you were saying, and you just removed 150,000 people under temporary protection from the count. Why? You say, 'They have not been able to access state services for a year, we estimate they are in Europe.' Did they teleport there, or did they fly? If they crossed the borders, it means you cannot protect the borders either. Look, there is something we have been voicing since June: 'Let's conduct a closed census.' We were the first to voice it, then the IYI Party supported it. Come, let's conduct a closed census; how many illegal migrants are there, how many are under temporary protection, how many are within our borders? Everyone gives a different figure, let's know, let's collect their biometric data, let's identify those whose addresses you cannot find. Why don't you do this? This must be done immediately; let the mask fall and the true face be revealed." he said, making a call.

"LET US PROVIDE INCENTIVES FOR THE MIGRATION OF SYRIANS"

Stating that coercive and incentive-based measures must be taken for the return of Syrians, Bakan said: "The war is over, the Assad regime has fallen, and the legal status of temporary protection no longer exists. Of course, we are aware of this: they cannot return in one fell swoop, but as a ministry and as a state, there must be an incentive-based and a coercive plan. If you say, as the President says, 'Let them go voluntarily whenever they want,' then from this moment on, you are telling everyone staying here illegally to 'stay illegally.' This has social consequences and will lead to social conflicts. There is a great expectation in society regarding their return, but let us give them a deadline, give them time, provide incentives, and take some coercive measures; let us say: 'Return to your country by this date.' May everyone be well in their own homeland; let them go, ensure the territorial integrity of their country, rebuild it, and build a democracy there, even if it is slow and faltering. Then we can say we have good neighbors, visit each other, and engage in trade." he said. 

Sending greetings to the imprisoned Mayor of Esenyurt, Ahmet Özer, CHP's Murat Bakan concluded his remarks as follows:

"Palaces and sultanates collapse, blood falls silent, one day oppression ends, violets will bloom upon us and lilacs will smile; what remains from these days are those who go toward tomorrow and those who resist for the sake of tomorrow..."