Özgür Özel speaks from Silivri... Harsh criticism of the 4th wave operation: 'I'm starting with Fatih, I will disclose it by Tuesday'

CHP Chairman Özgür Özel met with Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu after attending the hearing of Prof. Dr. Ahmet Özer. Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Özel reacted to the 4th wave of operations targeting the IMM.

Here are Özgür Özel's statements:

We visited him at Silivri Prison. This morning, a new wave of operations took place targeting the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. We are following it closely as well. First of all, I would like to say this. They are once again detaining our esteemed colleague, Ekrem President's Chief of Staff, Ms. Kadriye, from the residence where she lives with her son at the crack of dawn. Ms. Kadriye was previously detained and held for 4 days. By now, she has no statement left to give to the police. The procedure is such, the rule is such. She can give a statement to the prosecutor now, she can give new statements. That is why she would go anyway when summoned by the prosecutor's office. Look, you released her and she didn't flee. She is at her job. If the prosecutor summoned her and said, "I will ask this too," she would answer; that is how it should be. Many esteemed prosecutors who practice their profession with diplomas they received from law schools all over Turkey summon and ask questions to people who have been detained before, undergone police interrogation, come to the prosecutor's office, and are currently free, if they have something new to ask.

What is this, enemy law? To go and take a lone woman from the house where she lives with her little son at the crack of dawn with police. There is no chance for her brother to arrive from out of town. Her child is staying with others now, her aunt will arrive. There cannot be such a lack of conscience. They took our Secretary General, Mr. Akın, who had been held for 4 days before, again with this method, held him for another 4 days, and then released him from the prosecutor's office again. What do you say to this cruelty now? What are you expecting? What are you doing, I mean, what is the benefit of doing this to you? Are you cooling your hearts? Are you taking revenge? Who is this anger for? Who is this grudge for? What happens when you persecute someone whose duty is to be Ekrem President's chief of staff like Ms. Kadriye? What happens when you upset her child, when you make her family cry? What benefit is it to you? What benefit is it to the law? What benefit is it to Erdoğan? What benefit are those child's tears to Erdoğan's political career?

Why did they take her? A phone was found, I even said it yesterday, Ekrem President laughed a lot at that too. Even Graham Bell wasn't this happy when he invented the telephone. The inventor of the phone, AKP trolls are happy. Everything is back to square one, everything is back to square one. Now we are starting over.

Those happy trolls, the so-called writer-journalist crowd, are happy saying, "Nothing had been found until now, we were morally collapsed. We found Ekrem İmamoğlu's secret phone. Now we will find what we are looking for." Do you know what they found? I said that phone number before, I can repeat it. When I enter that phone number, it says Beylikdüzü BBA Mayoral Candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu. I met Mr. Ekrem when he was a candidate, when he was a candidate for mayor. It is the first number I saved in 2013. Currently, when 2 million members of the Republican People's Party press on Ekrem İmamoğlu's name, there is a system where we can all see each other's phones, that number comes up. That is the first number Ekrem President gave in his prosecutor's interrogation. That number has been given to a person in IT since the Beylikdüzü Mayoralty ended and the IMM Mayoralty began. It was said, "Forward this to the switchboard." It was said to the chief of staff, "If someone calls from Beylikdüzü, he cannot open this number himself, we will take your note." and it is the number where information is given to Mr. Ekrem. There are no calls at all.

I express with sadness that there are no calls at all. The trolls will be very sad, but there is no WhatsApp. If there is, whatever was written on WhatsApp 5 years ago, 6 years ago, that is the last thing written. There is a high probability that there is a message he wrote to Ms. Dilek. Like, "Best for us, we won the election, etc." It's going well, it's early morning. That cancelled election is that one too. That is the number I called Ekrem President on 6 years ago. You licked your palms, you rejoiced in vain. You jumped, you hopped, but you confessed one thing. You have no hope other than something coming out of that phone. You haven't found anything until today. The friends who hopped and jumped because that AKP phone was found confess, "The mountains we trusted have been covered in snow until today. Mr. Akın couldn't get points from the away game." You are disgraced, disgraced, disgraced. There is nothing there.

He is taking rail systems from the friends. He will create a perception that "They committed corruption there too." The tender they took has been cancelled. The cancelled firm has filed a lawsuit against the cancellation. It was rejected in the Administrative Court, approved in the Council of State.

I am saying with sadness right now that the Council of State has approved the cancellation of that tender by the IMM for the file they claim is related to rail systems. It is fixed by court decision that the action taken is correct. That's why they are dealing with nonsense. They are arresting Mr. Mustafa, detaining him. "We took the protection chief." What did Mr. Mustafa do? Write me whatever you find, double it, come on. I'm saying this much. I place the same bail I placed on Mr. Ekrem on the friend who has been one step beside Mr. Ekrem for years, a successful police chief of the past, a state policeman, a state civil servant.

It's just perception management, nothing else. And what did we witness in Silivri today?

What did we witness in Silivri? Our TRT request, where is TRT? Where? Anadolu Agency is here, but where is TRT? What are we expecting from TRT, it's doing its own thing. Where are you TRT, where are you? We say: "Come and broadcast these trials live." I say to Erdoğan: "I trust my mayors. Come, let's broadcast the trials live," I say on TRT. Let Anadolu Agency broadcast it live, I'm fine with that too. This is the agency my ancestor founded to report from the front. Don't look at who manages it. All its employees are very valuable. Don't look at what those who manage it do. Even Tayyip Erdoğan cannot lower the brand value of such a TRT, such an Anadolu Agency. They will return to their reputable days. Look, I wish Ahmet Özer's trial had been broadcast so that the nation could see with their own eyes what is happening. He waited for the indictment for 4 months...

He wouldn't have seen corruption before 2019, he wouldn't have looked if he had looked. Are you the prosecutor of the republic, or the prosecutor of the AKP? Why aren't you looking? Then "Bring these companies, don't bring that one," in the same tender. Why? The ones they say don't bring are companies close to the AKP, that also get work from the AKP, that they protect and look after. The ones they say bring also have their own. I wonder if it's because they came and entered the tender here while they were close to the AKP. He is questioning them too. But I don't want these companies that are close to the AKP and stay in the ministries, I want this one. Why? If a contractor who is CHP, İyi Party, DEM Party, MHP - you can't touch MHP - if a contractor with that view committed corruption, let me catch him, if an AKP member did it, let me not catch him. Where is your oath? Where is your conscience? Where is your fairness? After a certain year. He is looking one by one to find a crime for Ekrem İmamoğlu and our friends. I am saying it clearly. It is clear how municipalities will be audited. The Court of Accounts audits. Civil inspectors audit, internal auditors audit. If they find a crime, they file a criminal complaint. The prosecutor's office takes action according to the criminal complaint filed. If there is a crime, investigation, indictment, if accepted, prosecution. That's it. This is your job, but what is the great Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor doing right now? He is re-auditing the IMM audit, the audited files, in the hope of finding a crime. Your job is to go after the crime that has been found. The Court of Accounts looked, said there is nothing. The Court of Accounts looked, said there is something in one file. What did it say? In the Digital Experience Museum. Look, you need to take action there. Did you? You did. What did you do? When the Court of Accounts finds a fault, Ekrem President assigns an internal auditor and finds errors in the Digital Experience Museum, finds faults, and in the file where he does what is necessary, he grants the person he did what is necessary to the opportunity to be a confessor. Did we understand? I am waiting for a two-line statement from Akın Gürlek. Let him make a statement saying, "We requested files from the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, we didn't give a date. When we didn't give a date, they all came. We didn't send back the pre-2019 ones." I am filing a criminal complaint to all our citizens, to their consciences. They are being partisan. They are only looking at the CHP period. If the theft, corruption is in the AKP period, they don't look. Next Tuesday, I will explain one by one with evidence the municipalities in Istanbul that the Court of Accounts said "Take action" but they didn't. If they carry out an operation on AKP municipalities until Tuesday, I will start with Fatih Municipality. Fatih. Fatih Municipality, I will explain next Tuesday the files that you have kept waiting for 3 years, 2 years, even though an operation should have been carried out. Either until Tuesday, Fatih Municipality, look, again my advice, call the mayor, let him come. Don't go to his house like that, don't scare his children, don't frighten them. Don't threaten anyone's mother's, father's life. Call, take his statement. Detain everyone whose name is mentioned there. Bring them. Come on. Let me see you arrest them and throw them there one day. We are starting from Fatih. From Fatih. We are playing openly, Mr. Akın. I have the Court of Accounts reports of Fatih Municipality in my hand. I have the reports that have been said for 3 years that nothing is being done. Let me see if he takes Fatih Municipality or not. But call like a human being. It is not right for you to treat the Fatih Mayor with such treatment contrary to human dignity. Don't do it to any mayor. If we were governing the country, I would have already made you do this, but those who govern have no work. You are doing your job like the chief prosecutor of Turkey or like a representative of a tyrant who has set up his own order in a place that is not a state of law.

This much injustice has returned from the nation's conscience, it is returning, it will return. Every week the number of those who believe in Mr. Tayyip and Mr. Akın is decreasing, the number of those who believe in us is increasing. You see those polls too. That is why you are sinking to the bottom of the earth. That is why. Be worse, be worse.

(QUESTION: On one hand, there are many mayors in prison, one of them is already facing terrorism-related charges in court. There was also a news story in Sözcü newspaper today. The Supreme Court of Appeals is overturning the 3-time aggravated life imprisonment sentence given to the terrorist who caused the martyrdom of 3 police officers and the wounding of 21 soldiers in Silvan, Diyarbakır. At the same time, more than 300 years of imprisonment are requested. These are being lifted. In his statement, that terrorist also expressed his satisfaction with the newly initiated process. How do you evaluate this?)

While on one hand mayors are facing such treatment with a corruption investigation, on the other hand, terrorists, the way a terrorist whose fingerprints were found on a bomb is released like this... If a terrorist whose fingerprints were found on a bomb is released in this way, this is a very dire situation. Mr. Bahçeli should be following this issue most closely. He attended the funeral, we couldn't attend the funeral at that time. There is a condolence he gave to the family. I say that family should have a say in the commission to be established in this process. "Let's not do things that we cannot look into the eyes of that family," he says. For example, if the event you are describing is like this, I mean, I just read the news in the newspaper in the morning. I read that Mr. Devlet attended the funeral. He received a 300-year sentence, it was overturned. If this is what they understand from the process, these are the things they are trying to do, so that this doesn't happen, we have been saying for years that let's establish a commission in parliament, let's sit down, let's talk about it in all its dimensions. There are many categories. Those who have committed crimes, those who haven't, organization members, those considered as members, etc. All of these need to be discussed thoroughly. After that, healthy steps need to be taken. We want a Turkey without terrorism. We want a democratic Turkey without terrorism. We know that the most important way to a Turkey without terrorism is democratization. We are ready to make the most important contributions for this, but as you said, things that will make the bones of the martyrs ache, that we cannot look into the faces of the veterans, that we cannot say anything to the mothers, children... Come on, let Mr. Devlet go and say something to that family now. If you manage a process like this, you will be in such a difficult situation. Not by pushing this, shoving that, making plans in his own way, calculating over re-electing Mr. Tayyip, but by democratizing, solving problems, and planning every step correctly, without stepping on anyone's nerves, wounds, without making their wounds bleed again. Otherwise, is this something that will happen? Is this what you are going to do?

Our mayors' crime is very heavy. Our mayors are accused of winning municipalities, of defeating Mr. Tayyip. Not of martyring soldiers. When accused of martyring soldiers, there is a solution to the process, look, you are telling me today, but there is no forgiveness for defeating the AKP. That is why their detention continues.

(QUESTION: Mr. Özgür, I am asking as someone from İzmir. Now there is a democratic constitution, a civil constitution debate. President Erdoğan specifically addressed you. "Let's do it together," he said. Now you reminded of Mr. Ahmet's words inside. "I am being tried because I am Kurdish," he said. There are peoples in these lands, different peoples. There are Kurds, Alevis, minorities. Considering that they also need such a constitution, will you be able to support a new constitution with the demand for equal peoples, equal citizens?)

I am saying this without claiming the question because Kurds are not a minority, Alevis are not a minority. Minorities are a constitutional definition and when that law is passed, whoever is considered a minority are the minorities, but I would like to say this: With someone who does not comply with the constitution, with someone who does not recognize the constitution, with someone who does not hesitate to trample the constitution for his own power, with someone who does not look at the tears of a single, young, lonely mother's baby, with someone who has no mercy, with someone who cannot be negotiated with, that is, with someone who can digest the lawlessness he created in the back, with someone who has kept Vera fatherless for 3 years, with someone who still keeps Osman Kavala, whose insult to his mother was wiped away by his own hands, in prison even though it was denied in Ahmet Hakan's column months ago, years ago, years ago, even though witnesses, academics said it, just to consolidate his own power... You are saying: "Will you make a democratic constitution?" Look, I will do it with those who elect him.

He made a mistake in the past, he elected Erdoğan. In the future, I will make Turkey's most democratic constitution, the most civil constitution with those people. I will also make a constitution that favors disadvantaged groups. We will all do this.

We want a civil constitution. We want a constitution where everyone is completely equal. We want there to be laws in accordance with that constitution, we want those laws to be applied equally to everyone. We want no one to be left behind. I will leave behind the presidential candidate who has defeated Tayyip Erdoğan's candidates 3 times in a row in the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. Then I will go to Tayyip Erdoğan.

What will I talk about while my friends are here? What will I talk about while Can Atalay, an elected deputy, is here? What will I talk about while there are Constitutional Court decisions? What will I talk about while there are ECHR decisions? First, let them comply with the constitution. I won the election on March 31. Was it May 6th or something, we met with Mr. Erdoğan. I said: "Let's save Turkey from this poisonous language. By shouting and yelling at each other, the retiree's stomach is not filled, the minimum wage is not increased, people's democratic demands are not met, prisons are not emptied. Come on, let's comply with the law and the constitution." Mr. Namık was by my side. He took notes line by line. We had a meeting that we will not be ashamed of, but will be proud of in front of history, from our perspective. If they said what we said that day, none of the many negatives experienced today would be experienced. Neither this much poverty, nor this much injustice, nor this much unfairness, but what did they prefer? They preferred fighting, they preferred cruelty. We were in front of the Istanbul Provincial Presidency together, what did I say that day? You asked about what they did. "I accept it as a declaration of war," I said. "What will you do?" "I will do what a party that has been declared war on does, I will fight," I said. I am fighting, friends, we are all fighting together. We will fight. One does not negotiate with them. What will I negotiate with such merciless, cruel, law-ignoring men? First, let them bring Turkey to a ground where it can be negotiated normally. Let them comply with all Constitutional Court decisions, let them comply with ECHR decisions. Let them say: "I am ready." Well, I am ready then. Let's sit down and see what we can do. First of all, one needs to talk about the sanction of violating a constitution in this country. One needs to write that on the forehead of the constitution first. What sanction will be applied to those who do not comply with the constitution? Because this lack of sanction has spoiled them this much.

(Question: There is a decision conveyed by the prosecutor's office but reflected to the public today. It is said that it was sent to the IMM, notified. Regarding the collection and banning of Ekrem İmamoğlu's banners and posters)

This is the most law-ignoring decision I have ever heard in my life. What is Ekrem İmamoğlu's title? Mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. Who decides this? Istanbul's voters. Has his crime been proven? No. According to the most basic principle of law, he is innocent until proven guilty. Both elected and innocent. Currently, 2/3 of his salary is being deposited, the law is such. Even if you remove him from office, his title is mayor. How do you bring a ban on opening his photo? Is he a criminal, is he accusing, and is he a criminal? You don't even have an indictment yet! There is no indictment! It's just an instruction you received, a detention you made, followed by an unfair arrest measure, and the crime you are looking for in these people, the deeper you dig, the more you sink. The deeper you dig, the deeper you sink. There is no indictment, what does it matter if there is? There is no trial, what does it matter if there is? No decision has been made, what does it matter if it is? It needs to be finalized. Only then can you say: "This person is guilty." Hanging Ekrem İmamoğlu's banner or hearing his voice on the metro falls under praising the crime and the criminal. Like hearing Ekrem İmamoğlu's voice at metro stops. Can such a thing happen? I mean, one is really ashamed, ashamed of what they are doing. President, let's hang them, let them come and take them down. I will hang that flag now. Let them come and take it down. Which criminal? The man is denying himself. You gave a clean record from the courthouse, he became a candidate. There is nothing from that day to this. You have an allegation, there is no indictment. As if there is a criminal in the middle. "You can't do it, you can't hang it." Come on, I will hang it. Let Akın Gürlek come and take it down. An officer there will give an unlawful order to the poor police, to the poor men. "Come on, take it down with our laborers, you won't take it down." It's a shame. Mr., Mr. Özer, one... Don't make me lose my temper, I will go and hang it on his office door. I will go and hang Ekrem President's picture on his office door, I mean. Don't make me lose my temper. There is a limit to impudence too.

(Question: As the Republican People's Party, you have been expressing your demand for early elections for a long time. Erdoğan used the expression, "We will not put Turkey into such a predicament, there is no need for this." What would you like to say about early elections? What does this mean for Erdoğan?)

Now what happens if there is an early election? Erdoğan loses. What is this? It is a predicament for him. Then call this a "predicament." This is not a predicament, this is Turkey's only hope of exit. The way to get rid of this much poverty, this much injustice, this much high tension, this country where everyone is unhappy, is the ballot box. That is why every evening, every evening, look, we are holding evening rallies. In world political history, 7 nights in a row in the same square, at the same time, the same speaker, millions of people, there is no such thing. On top of that, every Wednesday at the same time in a district. You saw Pendik, the energy of Pendik. You saw İzmir, Mersin, Konya, Van, Yozgat, Samsun. Over 50 provinces are in line. Saying I will do a bigger one. All districts are pressuring my provincial chairman. Saying "When are you coming to us?" What are they shouting? "Hey Erdoğan, leave my candidate, bring the ballot box. I want the candidate by my side, the ballot box in front of me." How much longer will you endure this voice? Signatures are going to 20 million. We will also do the notary verification of 20 million. Then we will count down to the absolute majority. What will you do? Either right now, right now, 18 something, over 15 million, over 17.5 million people have said "Leave my candidate, bring the ballot box." Man, and then "It's a predicament, it's something..." He can't escape. That ballot box will either come or it will come.

(Question: There is another statement by Mr. Erdoğan. You expressed your views on the constitution just now, but specifically, the President says, "I don't want a new constitution for myself," and continues, "I don't have any concern about being re-elected or being a candidate again." How should this be read through the constitutional debates?)

The biggest reservation in society for the call to the constitutional table is that he is doing it to be a candidate one more time. He is not telling the truth to stop this objection, to be able to get ahead of this objection of society. We all know that his only concern, because of that concern, Ahmet Özer is inside. He was saying "I never lose," he lost. He was boasting about being the first party, he is the second party. There is a government that they are keeping alive with difficulty, lame and blind, together with the fifth party. That is why, that is why in the process from now on, Erdoğan will make such commitments, but since he has proven many times before that his word cannot be trusted, unfortunately, we do not have any credibility in his word in this sense. Also, we are not interested in the AKP's candidate, we are interested in our own candidate. Whether Mr. Erdoğan is a candidate or not, the next president will be Ekrem İmamoğlu with the appreciation of our nation.