Murat Bakan reacts to Güvenpark intervention: You cannot silence the voice of a veteran

YENİ Party İzmir MP Murat Bakan has reacted to the police intervention in the early hours of the morning that removed veterans and relatives of martyrs from Ankara's Güvenpark, where they had been holding a sit-in protest for 38 days.

In his statement, Bakan noted that the intervention took place at 04:45, stating that the protesters were put on buses and taken to the Veteran Integration Center in Bilkent, after which Güvenpark was cordoned off with iron barriers.

Stating that the demand of the veterans and relatives of martyrs is "equal personal rights regardless of rank," Bakan said, "You can close off a park with barriers, but you cannot silence the voice of a veteran."

Criticizing the fact that police and veterans were pitted against each other, Bakan also recalled the events of last week when veterans attempted to march to Parliament. Bakan stated, "The burden of this mistake cannot be left on the shoulders of either the veteran or the police."

Pointing to Article 34 of the Constitution regarding the right to assembly and demonstration, and Article 61 concerning veterans and relatives of martyrs, Bakan emphasized that the state's duty is to protect veterans and listen to their demands.

Bakan also announced that he has brought the issue to the agenda of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM). In a parliamentary question directed at Minister of Interior Mustafa Çiftçi, he asked who gave the order for the intervention, what legal justification the action was based on, and when the barriers at Güvenpark would be removed.

Calling for meetings with representatives of the veterans and relatives of martyrs, Bakan stated that legal regulations must be brought to Parliament to eliminate inequalities in salaries, compensation, healthcare, treatment, rehabilitation, and prosthetic support.