He had targeted the Constitutional Court: Response from Can Atalay's lawyer Akçay Taşçı to AKP's Abdullah Güler

H. Deniz Yılmaz - 12punto.com.tr

The Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) will convene today at 2:00 PM for Can Atalay, the Hatay Deputy from the Workers' Party of Turkey (TİP), for whom the Constitutional Court (AYM) has issued a ruling that the stripping of his parliamentary status is "null and void."

With only hours left until the critical session, AKP Group Chairman Abdullah Güler held a press conference at the TBMM.

Targeting the AYM over the Can Atalay decision, Güler stated, "There is no decision here to be evaluated on legal grounds. This decision has unfortunately broken away from the Constitutional Court's own jurisprudence in similar cases. The Constitutional Court has established a process that is clearly contrary to the constitution. The AYM has disregarded its own jurisprudence."

"HE IS THE LAST PERSON TO EVALUATE WHETHER AYM DECISIONS ARE APPROPRIATE"

Can Atalay's lawyer, Akçay Taşçı, evaluated the press conference held by Abdullah Güler for 12punto.

Emphasizing that there is no authority in Turkey that can audit the legality of AYM decisions, Taşçı pointed to Güler and stated, "He is not in that position either. Especially as a politician, he is perhaps the last person who could evaluate whether AYM decisions are in accordance with the law. The assessment he made also shows this. If a person makes the comment regarding an AYM decision that 'there is no decision here to be evaluated on legal grounds,' it shows that they are not even familiar with the technical aspect of the matter."

Taşçı also made an assessment regarding the Can Atalay session in the TBMM.

Noting that they expect a decision from the TBMM session in line with the AYM's ruling, Taşçı said, "I will not say anything about whether it will proceed to a general debate, but what the Parliamentary Speaker's Office must do is to register Can Atalay in the parliamentary records with the determination that he is a deputy. That is all the AYM decision says anyway."

"WE HOPE THE PARLIAMENT WILL NOT BE COMPLICIT IN THIS CRIME"

"We do not want the Parliament to fall into a position of not implementing the AYM decision. Some courts have insisted on this issue and have taken it to a very extreme level," said Taşçı, continuing as follows:

"We hope that our parliament, which has a history of approximately 150-160 years, will not be complicit in this shame, this crime, will not cast such a stain on its own history, and will not be remembered as a parliament that does not recognize the AYM decision.

This issue is not just about Can Atalay. Today's meeting will also be a decisive session regarding the rights of parliamentarians in Turkey, the rights they should be protected by, and the protection of the Parliament's own moral personality.

"BLACKMAIL BY A GROUP OF POLITICIANS"

We hope that the parliament remembers its own dignity. Independent of all daily political debates, we hope it does not bow to the blackmail and threats of a group of politicians and makes an effort to uphold its own law."

News Source: H. Deniz Yılmaz