CHP MP Mahmut Tanal responds to vacation allegations with documentation

Amidst the backdrop of recent court rulings and developments at the CHP headquarters, allegations surfaced claiming that MP Mahmut Tanal was vacationing in Greece. Tanal, who clearly denied the claims, shared the details and documentation of his trip with the public in a statement.

Tanal stated the following regarding the matter:

"I was not in Turkey during the period when the judicial process regarding the Republican People's Party (CHP) Convention and the subsequent developments were being planned.

My vehicle was in Albania, and I was traveling through the Balkans by land.

Due to the call from our Headquarters and the Group Deputy Chairmanship election, I left my vehicle in a secure location in Tirana, the capital of Albania. I then traveled to Ankara by air. The Esenboğa Airport records show this clearly and unequivocally.

After the election was completed and following the interventions directed at our Headquarters, I boarded a plane from Esenboğa Airport again and returned to Tirana. Now, I am picking up the vehicle I left behind and returning to Turkey by land.

The entry-exit records in my passport, flight records, and all official documents are there for all to see.

There is nothing hidden.

Despite this, I am astonished to see that an attempt is being made to create a perception operation based on my resting for a few hours at a hotel.

After departing from Albania, I took a break in Thessaloniki following a long and tiring journey. During this time, I visited the house where Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was born. I met with Ministry of Culture officials and Consulate staff.

Everything is clear.

Everything is transparent.

Everything is on record.

Now I ask:

Why is my resting for a few hours due to travel fatigue being blown so far out of proportion?

Were you expecting me to stay behind the wheel while sleep-deprived, cause a traffic accident, and endanger my own life or the lives of others?

Traffic rules mandate that drivers rest when necessary.

This is not a preference; it is a responsibility.

Throughout my life, I have been a person who respects the law, rules, and public order.

Resting during a journey is also my most natural right.

If everyone has the right to rest, I also have the right to rest.

Making a few hours of sleep in a hotel a subject of debate is about discussing perceptions, not facts.

I was not on vacation.

I was not out for entertainment.

I was on a land journey spanning thousands of kilometers.

Furthermore, even if you were to accept for a moment that I was on vacation;

Is this a crime?

Is this a sin?

Is this immoral?

To which conscience, which morality, and which understanding of law does it conform to try to portray people resting, sleeping, and ensuring road safety as a crime?

Politics should not be this dirty.

Politics should not be degraded to this level of immorality.

An approach that becomes so desperate as to turn a person staying in a hotel and sleeping for a few hours into political fodder has nothing to offer the nation.

There is no theft here,

there is no corruption,

there is no bribery,

there is no action causing public loss,

nor is there any behavior that harms the rights and laws of another.

I ask:

Did I commit theft?

Did I take a bribe?

Did I engage in corruption?

Did I violate someone's rights?

Did I attempt to take someone's life?

No.

The only thing I did was to rest during a land journey of thousands of kilometers, prioritizing traffic safety and human life.

What should really be questioned is not my resting for a few hours, but the mindset that tries to extract political gain and political material from this.

Protecting human life is a responsibility.

Trying to portray this as a crime is heartless.

I have just woken up. I saw the posts made on social media. After having my breakfast, I will set off from Greece toward Turkey.

When the facts are this clear, turning an ordinary rest break that prioritizes the safety of human life into a subject of political debate is the clearest indicator of how much politics has been polluted."