Statement from Kılıçdaroğlu after visiting Selahattin Demirtaş and Selçuk Mızraklı: 'His imprisonment is a legal disaster'
Former CHP Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu visited former HDP Co-Chairman Selahattin Demirtaş and former Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Adnan Selçuk Mızraklı in prison. Speaking after the visit, Kılıçdaroğlu said, "If you still try to maintain an authoritarian structure, there will be no democracy or normalization. If Demirtaş were outside, the path for civil politics would have been opened."
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Republican People's Party (CHP) 7th Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu visited former HDP Co-Chairman Selahattin Demirtaş, who was sentenced to 42 years in prison in the Kobani Case, and former Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Adnan Selçuk Mızraklı today.
Kılıçdaroğlu made a statement following the visit.
"DEMİRTAŞ IS A PIONEER OF CIVIL POLITICS"
The highlights of Kılıçdaroğlu's speech are as follows:
“Mr. Demirtaş is a pioneer of civil politics. He desires for everyone in Turkey to live in peace and happiness. He closely follows Turkey and world politics. Mr. Mızraklı is the same. Therefore, our duty is to make a new language of politics dominant in Turkey. We desire for all citizens in Turkey to live in peace, to live in harmony, and to express their thoughts freely.
I have been following Mr. Demirtaş for a long time. Seeing him in person and having a long conversation was extremely beneficial for me."
"NO ONE SHOULD BE IMPRISONED FOR THEIR THOUGHTS"
"We also talked about Turkish politics. We discussed developments in our neighboring countries and world politics. As I just stated, they expressed the need for a new language of politics. The importance of civil politics was already emphasized. Therefore, we made an assessment within this framework.
Of course, I do not want anyone in Turkey to be imprisoned for their thoughts. We treat thoughts with respect; whether we agree with their thoughts or not is a separate matter. But it is extremely valuable for a person to express their thoughts. And in democracies, this is inevitable; it should be this way."
‘IF DEMİRTAŞ WERE OUTSIDE, THE PATH FOR CIVIL POLITICS WOULD HAVE BEEN OPENED’
"We also talked about the concerns of young people regarding going abroad. Turkey needs to solve this problem. Turkey is losing its most valuable assets.
If you still try to maintain an authoritarian structure, there will be no democracy or normalization.
If Demirtaş were outside, the path for civil politics would have been opened."
"HIS IMPRISONMENT IS A LEGAL DISASTER"
The fact that Mr. Selahattin is inside today, his imprisonment, is a legal disaster. Erdoğan is keeping him inside specifically because he said, ‘I will not make you president.’ There is nothing else to it. What did Mr. Selahattin do? Did he take up a weapon? On what grounds are you doing this? It is not just Mr. Selahattin; there are the Gezi prisoners, there is a member of parliament, there is Osman Kavala. You are not implementing court decisions, Constitutional Court decisions, or ECHR decisions. Tomorrow, I will visit both Demirtaş and Mızraklı. You must defend democracy unconditionally.”
RESPONSE TO THE QUESTION ON IMMUNITY
"When asked whether Demirtaş had any criticism regarding immunities, Kılıçdaroğlu replied, “No, there was no discussion on this matter. In any case, both of my valued friends know how sincere I am regarding politics and the resolution of problems in Turkey.”