Zafer Party Spokesperson Karamahmutoğlu: 'How much longer will you delay the indictment?'

Zafer Party Spokesperson Azmi Karamahmutoğlu made the following statements at a press conference regarding the current agenda:

'THE MINISTER IS STILL SITTING IN HIS SEAT'

While the pain of our 78 citizens, 36 of whom were children, who lost their lives in the Bolu Kartalkaya Hotel fire still burns in our hearts, Minister Mehmet Ersoy, who heads the Ministry of Culture and Tourism—which licensed the tourism-certified hotel—continues to sit in his ministerial seat as if he has no responsibility. Mehmet Ersoy's attitude might perhaps be explained by his ambition for office, but the reason for the insistence on this matter by Mr. Tayyip Erdoğan, the head of the People's Alliance government who keeps him in that position, is a matter of curiosity. The removal of Minister Mehmet Ersoy from his ministerial post is now a delayed decision, and this delay has become a habit of the AKP government.

Unfortunately, no satisfactory explanation has been given to the public in the time that has passed since the fire, and the authorities have not been pursued with determination. Allegations that the fire safety measures at the Kartalkaya Hotel were inadequate, that escape routes were blocked, and that building security was not at a sufficient level are being strongly debated in the public sphere. While it is obvious that the negligence regarding fire safety led to a chain reaction of disaster, the government's avoidance of responsibility regarding the issue also makes the justice mechanism questionable.

'ÖZDAĞ'S INDICTMENT HAS NOT BEEN PREPARED FOR 50 DAYS'

 The prosecutor's indictment that led to the arrest of Zafer Party Chairman Ümit Özdağ has also not yet been prepared or sent to the court. The fact that the indictment has still not been prepared despite 50 days having passed since our Chairman's arrest reinforces the thought that detention is being turned into a punishment. We would like to draw the attention of the Minister of Justice and the Courthouse to this issue.

The indictment prepared against Özdağ is more of a political document than a legal text. Mr. Özdağ has always maintained a clear and firm stance as a politician who defends the interests of the people and prioritizes national security and social peace. However, it is seen that the government is trying to use the law as a weapon to silence him. The delay of the indictment is part of a systematic attempt to break Mr. Özdağ's political influence.

The accusations in the indictment consist entirely of vague and baseless claims. Especially according to information reflected in the public, the prosecutor's office has not yet been able to present concrete evidence and has acted solely for political reasons. Mr. Özdağ's sensitivities regarding Turkey's border security, illegal migration, and national interests are known to everyone. However, his open expression of his views on these issues has been perceived not as a legal but as a political threat, and excuses have been manufactured for his arrest.

At this point, we want to ask the government and judicial authorities: Is justice truly independent? If so, why is the indictment prepared against Mr. Özdağ not being disclosed to the public? Why is this process being deliberately prolonged? The law should not be a tool for those acting with political calculations. Our expectation from the Ministry of Justice and the relevant judicial authorities is to immediately put an end to this lawlessness, disclose the indictment, and ensure Mr. Özdağ's right to a fair trial.

The extension of Ümit Özdağ's detention period is an attempt to create political pressure. If Turkey is a state of law, justice must operate equally for everyone. However, at the point we have reached today, the impartiality of the judiciary is being seriously questioned. It is essential that the judiciary ceases to be a tool serving the government's political goals and acts independently. Otherwise, the concept of the rule of law in Turkey will suffer a major blow.

'WILL TERRORISTS BE PARDONED WITH THE NEW ENFORCEMENT REGULATION?' 

The Ministry of Justice plans to include a new enforcement regulation in the 10th Judicial Package. However, with the second resolution process announced on October 22, the possibility that this package will turn into an amnesty that also covers terror crimes is worrying. We expect the government to make a statement on this matter.

For justice to be served in our country, enforcement regulations must be fair. However, as in the past, amnesty attempts for members of terrorist organizations will create a situation that threatens Turkey's security. The government must avoid such steps that will wound the conscience of the citizens and must not allow the fight against terrorism to be diluted.

'IF THERE IS BORDER SECURITY FOR THE EUROPEAN UNION, WHY IS THERE NONE FOR TURKEY?'

The AKP government has decided to build an 8.5 km long wall on the Turkey-Greece border. One of the functions of this wall is to prevent illegal migration to Europe. However, when we demand that the same care shown for the European Union be shown on Turkey's own borders, we are labeled as anti-humanist. The illegal migrant population in Turkey, which has reached 13 million, is causing great damage to both the economic and social structure.

Our country's border security must be ensured not only in line with Europe's demands but for the safety of our nation. It is a necessity for the government to take clear and decisive steps regarding the illegal migration flow that threatens Turkey's demographic structure. Otherwise, our country will face a crisis in the coming years from which there is no return.

'NEW CONSTITUTION DISCUSSIONS AND ATTEMPTS TO ESCAPE THE BALLOT BOX'

The AKP government has amended the 1982 Constitution, which it criticizes as a "coup constitution," 21 times to date. It went to a referendum in 2007, 2010, and 2017 to make constitutional changes. So, why is it avoiding a public vote this time? Knowing that it has lost public support, the AKP plans to change the constitution in parliament using a "hit-and-run" method.

As the Zafer Party, we will not back down from the struggle for rights, law, and justice for everyone in the country. Instead of imprisoning our political rivals, you should try to defeat them at the ballot box. The Turkish electorate will continue to support us.

SECTARIAN CONFLICTS IN SYRIA

For the last three days, we have been witnessing images that make us ashamed of our humanity and bleed the human conscience. As we watch the civilian massacres taking place in the Syrian cities of Latakia and Tartus, we are becoming ashamed of our humanity. Yet, it was pumped into the Turkish public that with the collapse of the Arab nationalist Baath regime in Syria and the coming to power of another Arab nationalist religious cadre, an authority was established across the entirety of Syria, and the new administration's coming to power was presented as a conquest. Now we see that perhaps 3 million Nusayri Arabs, whose total population in Syria might be added to the temporary refugees and Syrians under temporary protection who fled the Assad regime here, may now be added.

This time, Turkey may perhaps be forced to embrace the Nusayri Arabs fleeing the state terror being practiced by jihadist, religious, and Political Islamist cadres. There is no end to this. There are conflicts all over the world. Human conscience objects to all of them.

However, this is what we meant when we objected that it is not a correct policy for a single country to embrace them all. Now we want to address the bureaucrats and ministers of the AKP government who are sitting in the passenger seat next to Ahmet Elşara, who is in the driver's seat in Syria. If you have even a shred of authority, voice your objections to this sectarian-based massacre taking place in Syria. We know that you possess this conscience and have even made some attempts.

However, you must turn this into a stronger, more effective pressure, and you must demonstrate that the Turkish public supports the Nusayri Arabs in Syria so that they are not subjected to a sectarian-based massacre. 

No component of the AKP has the right to pour gasoline on the fire of the sectarian war in Syria, to disturb the peace of Turkey and the Turkish society, to create division through identities within the Turkish society, or to carry the division in Syria to Turkey. This is a significant danger awaiting Turkey. Because, unfortunately, there is and continues to be a potential for ethnic-based division and conflict in Syria. There is and continues to be a danger and possibility of sectarian-based division and conflict through faith identities. What falls to us as citizens of the Republic of Turkey is to ensure the national integrity of the unitary state in our country, and while remaining within that national integrity, not to carry external problems into Turkey through sub-identities. Since the bad news received has not been confirmed, we will not go into the details of the matter further, but it seems we will spend this week talking about these civilian massacres in Syria."