Kılıçdaroğlu trial concludes: What happened on the first day?

 Former CHP Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu went to the Ankara Courthouse today to attend the hearing of the case filed against him, in which he faces up to 11 years in prison and a political ban following a complaint by AKP Chairman and President Tayyip Erdoğan.

Citizens in the surrounding area greeted Kılıçdaroğlu with chants of "Rights, Law, Justice."

Kılıçdaroğlu's hearing was attended by CHP Chairman Özgür Özel, CHP politicians, Ankara Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mansur Yavaş, Mersin Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Vahap Seçer, and Adana Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Zeydan Karalar.

In addition to many CHP figures such as CHP deputies Mustafa Sarıgül, Ali Öztunç, and Ömer Fethi Gürer, and former deputies Yıldırım Kaya and Gürsel Tekin, former HDP Co-Chairman Mithat Sancar and Zafer Party Chairman Ümit Özdağ were also present at the courthouse.

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu did not attend the hearing as he was in Germany.

'HISTORY HAS GIVEN ME THE TASK OF TELLING THE TRUTH'

Kılıçdaroğlu began his defense as follows:

"Mr. Judge, before I begin my speech, I would like to draw attention to two points.

First: I did not come here to defend myself for a crime I committed, but to put the crimes committed on record, to hold those responsible accountable, and to leave a note for history.

Second: I know that you are neither the subject nor the cause of this injustice to which I am being subjected. None of what I will say has anything to do with you personally.

However, I want you to know that we have met at a common point. Just as history has given me the task of telling the truth, it has also offered you the opportunity to record these truths."

I HAVE NO REGRETS 

Kılıçdaroğlu stood by the statements that were the subject of the case and used the following expressions:

“I suppose the reason for the lawsuits filed and my appearance in court is that I called Erdoğan a 'Chief Thief, Thief, and Master Thief.' First of all, I would like to say that I have no regrets for expressing these truths, which are proven by evidence.

Happily for me, I did not appear before the court for a 'bribery crime.' Happily for me, I did not appear before you as a 'thief guilty of embezzlement who eats the rights of orphans.'

And again, happily for me, Mr. Judge, I did not appear before you for 'treason.' Mr. Judge, I appeared before you because I called a 'thief a thief.'

I say it again in your presence, in the presence of my dear nation, and before history; the man who said, 'Son, did you zero out the money in the house?' is a THIEF.

If the man who said, 'I have only one ring, if I become rich, know that I have stolen it,' has become rich, Mr. Judge, I say it here again: he is a MASTER THIEF - A THIEF.

Mr. Judge; I am Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu..! I served as an account expert at the Ministry of Finance, and as a Department Head and Deputy General Manager at the Revenue Administration.

I served as General Manager at Bağ-Kur and the Social Insurance Institution, and as Deputy Undersecretary at the Ministry of Labor and Social Security. Before entering the political arena, I taught at the university. I served as a deputy and Deputy Group Chairman. Later, I served as the Chairman of the Republican People's Party, of which I have always been proud to be a member, for 13 years.

Mr. Judge, throughout all my duties, I managed very large budgets. I supervised tens of thousands of civil servants. I never touched a penny of the public treasury, nor did I allow anyone else to do so."

TAKEN OVER BY SOVEREIGN POWERS

Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu continued his words as follows:

"It is not just us, but the whole world knows that the Erdoğan family was threatened by the then and current US President Trump due to their assets, and that Erdoğan immediately bowed to this threat.

A head of state who has been taken over by sovereign powers cannot serve his country. This is another truth that history has placed before us. Let no one forget that those who remain silent in the face of corruption and those who rob the state lose their honor. We are honorable people. We cannot remain silent in the face of corruption."

CALLED AKŞENER A 'COLLABORATOR'

Kılıçdaroğlu also targeted the founding Chairwoman of the IYI Party, Meral Akşener, and called her a 'collaborator':

"I am Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. Do I not have mistakes, regrets, and sorrows? Of course I do. Mr. Judge,

In the presidential elections, those we knew as nationalist and patriotic, who said as a testament, 'I entrust Kılıçdaroğlu to my family,' turned out to be collaborators. I was wrong to believe in them, yes, I am at fault.

I could not have guessed that they could be this bad... I regret it,

I could not explain the established order and the danger the country has entered into better, I could not convince our nation, I could not fight more against those who commit fraud with fake videos.

I am sorry, Mr. Judge. I am sorry for the mothers who are always forgetful when their children ask, and who are always full when sitting at the table. For every one of our children who experiences nutrition, education, and health problems,

Who are murdered, harassed, and raped, who have forgotten how to be loved and smile, and who go to bed hungry, I am sorry, I am devastated, it weighs heavily on my heart. I am sorry for our retirees who are ashamed before their grandchildren and cannot pay their bills.

Yes, I am sorry, Mr. Judge. I am sorry for our 5 children who lost their lives by burning to death just a few days ago due to deprivation and poverty."

İmamoğlu: It must be a joke

IMM and TBB Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, who is in Berlin, the capital of Germany, for a series of contacts, said the following regarding the case:

"Mr. Kılıçdaroğlu will appear before the court. This must be a bad joke!"

AYŞE ATEŞ IS ALSO AT THE COURTHOUSE 

Ayşe Ateş, who was waiting for the hearing in front of the Ankara Courthouse, said, "The biggest thing we experienced when Sinan was killed was the feeling of disloyalty. Mr. Kemal never left us alone. That is why I am here today. I did not want to leave him alone."

Minister of Justice Yılmaz Tunç had said the following regarding the case in which Kılıçdaroğlu is being tried:

"There are investigations and prosecutions regarding the former CHP chairman here. Summaries of proceedings were prepared and sent to Parliament. There was no trial due to immunity. When his deputyship ended, the investigations carried out against him came to the agenda. There are distortions regarding tomorrow's statement taking.

There were politicians who expressed that they would join the call to 'tighten the ranks.' One needs to look at how and for which words those investigations were opened. These are unspeakable words against our President. Investigations were opened due to speeches at rallies that were unspeakable and unacceptable to the public against our President.

His statement will be taken at the court in Ankara for the case in Mersin. Our judiciary will decide whether the statements constitute a crime. It is the best example that one cannot get anywhere with insults. He continues his insults.

Our nation says no to smear politics. If they take this as an example, their end will be like the former chairman.

It is a cautionary tale for our politicians. Unfortunately, he has reached the end of his political life by constantly insulting, and he was not even made chairman in his own party.

From now on, we state that our politicians will benefit when they engage in constructive politics rather than statements that constitute a crime. There are 9 lawsuits and 5 investigations regarding Kılıçdaroğlu. These are files regarding whether the speeches constitute insults. Let's leave the judiciary alone. Turkey is a state of law. It is the independent judiciary that will decide whether there is a criminal element."

'IF YOU HAVE THE HEART...'

Quoting the aforementioned statements of Minister Tunç, Kılıçdaroğlu replied, "If you have the heart, come to the court tomorrow and listen to what I have to say to your master, listen, maybe you will learn a lesson..."