Özgür Özel's call to the Constitutional Court for Akbelen: 'Stop the sinful Erdoğan'

The 89th of the CHP's 'Standing Up for the National Will' rallies was held in the Milas district of Muğla.

Before the rally, a letter from presidential candidate and Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, who is currently detained in Silivri Prison, was read.

In his letter, İmamoğlu stated the following:

''My beautiful, big-hearted people of beautiful Muğla, precious ladies, esteemed gentlemen, brave youth, smiling children; I greet each of you with respect, love, and longing, and I embrace you with all my heart.

I would like to thank my precious Mayor Ahmet Aras, who looks after our Muğla like the apple of his eye and works with all his might to serve Muğla. I express my gratitude to our Provincial Chair Nail Kızıl, who represents the strong and indomitable will of our organization, and through him, to our entire organization.

For nearly a year, millions of our citizens, just like you, have been gathering in squares and demanding the same thing: Justice, justice, justice! We are a nation that knows the value of justice. For us, justice is not just a legal matter. Justice is our character. Pursuing justice for everyone, everywhere, is our cause. We see justice as the guarantee of a happy, peaceful life where we will live together as brothers and sisters. We accept justice as the foundation of abundance, prosperity, and looking to the future with confidence. That is why our greatest expectation from the state is that it be fair.

Today, we are seeking justice as a nation. We are looking for it in courtrooms. We are looking for it in the income we earn. We are looking for it in the taxes we pay. We are seeking justice in education and healthcare. When receiving services or applying for a job, we ask, 'Where is this justice?' We want everyone to benefit fairly from the blessings of our country and the opportunities of our state. We are seeking justice even in the competition between political parties, and even sports clubs. As a nation, we are seeking justice in every area of life.

Because this government has destroyed the foundations of economic and social justice. It has demolished legal justice by preventing judges and prosecutors from acting freely, solely according to the law and their conscience. You can see the cause of all the injustices we are experiencing in the person who was appointed to the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office as if he were an independent member of the judiciary while serving a political role as Deputy Minister of Justice, and who was then rewarded by being made Minister of Justice.''

Following the reading of İmamoğlu's letter, CHP Chairman Özgür Özel took the stage and addressed the citizens.

Calling for the acceleration of the CHP's application to the Constitutional Court regarding the urgent expropriation decisions in Akbelen, Özel said, "Hear the voice of this nation. Do not commit the sin of destroying this forest, these animals, these birds, these trees. Stop this sinful Erdoğan, stop him."

Highlights from Özel's speech are as follows:

''We are in the middle of February and as we promised; neither weary of the heat, nor afraid of the cold... Rain, hail, snow, blizzard; today in this beautiful square, this wind, this storm... But no matter what, welcome to the struggle, the struggle, the struggle!  

When I look at this square, I see those who do not tire and do not surrender against inequality and injustice. As I see this determination of yours, I say: 'It is not the wicked, it is not the oppressors, but the oppressed who win.'

When I see this determination, this heart, and this fighting spirit of yours, I say: Darkness never wins, light always wins. Evil never wins, goodness wins. It is not the oppressors, but those who resist oppression who win. Those who struggle win. And seeing you, I say: We will win, we will win, we will win.

At the 88th rally, I tell you this: 'No matter what, we have not stopped and will not stop, we have not tired and will not tire, we will neither forget our friends nor abandon this struggle.'

"A PRESIDENT WHO SAYS 'THE PEASANT IS THE MASTER OF THE NATION' LIKE THE FIRST ONE...'' 

There is a need not for a President who tells a complaining peasant to 'take your mother and get out,' but for a President who says, like the first one, 'The peasant is the master of the nation.'''

"ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT REASONS WE ARE IN MILAS IS WHAT HAS BEEN DONE TO AKBELEN"

Of course, one of the most important reasons we are in Milas is, unfortunately, what has been done to Akbelen by the government. In democracies, friends, the nation does not give a mandate and then withdraw. That is exactly what you came here to do today, and what we came here to do.

İkizköy is a village in Milas, Muğla. Now that it has become a metropolitan area, it is a neighborhood, a rural neighborhood. The Akbelen Forest, attached to İkizköy, was given to a mining company in 2018. From that date on, attempts were made to empty İkizköy and take it out of the hands of the people of İkizköy. In 2019, they issued a cutting decision for the forest. From that day on, the Akbelen resistance began. Since then, environmentalists, those who love Muğla, those who love Milas, and those who have given their hearts and support to this struggle from all over Turkey have been in Akbelen. We were there, our deputies were there, our organization was there, and you were there. First of all, I salute the Akbelen resistance with respect and once again claim it as our own.

"THEY HAVE INCREASED IT FIVEFOLD, THEY ARE BRINGING IT AGAIN"

Now, it is very valuable for the whole of Turkey to hear what the issue is, to hear it on live broadcast, and for it to be discussed. I am calling out to everyone here who has a conscience, who has fairness, who believes in God, and who loves nature. Look, the people of Akbelen resisted and opposed what was done in this regard. However, the Justice and Development Court took a step against this before the election, on March 11, 2024; their own party members stood up and withdrew it, saying 'Oh no, we will lose the election.' Now they have increased the evil twofold, no, fivefold, and they are bringing it again.

"WHEN THEY COULD NOT BREAK THE STRUGGLE IN AKBELEN, THEY MADE THE PARLIAMENT A TOOL FOR THIS"

The Justice and Development Party issued an urgent expropriation decision for 679 parcels with a decision published in the Official Gazette on January 10. As the Republican People's Party, regarding this matter - or rather, let's put it this way - when they could not break the struggle in Akbelen, they made the Parliament a tool for this. They brought a law to the Parliament. While the law regarding the protection of places that are normally olive groves under normal conditions stands there; they opened these places to mining by describing the coordinates of the olive groves with a trick of their own.

''HE USED HIS WAR AUTHORITY TO GIVE AKBELEN TO LİMAK''

“This Erdoğan used his authority for war and emergency situations to give the Akbelen Forest to the Limak company. Do you hear me, pilgrim aunt, pilgrim uncle?”

THE RUTHLESS COMPANY SAYS ''I AM NOT AFTER CUTTING DOWN THE FOREST''

Actually, the company says, that ruthless company: 'I am not after cutting down the forest. There is a 4 billion dollar promise to me, let them pay my money and I will give it up,' it says. Whatever they gave it for, whenever they made this promise, they wanted to settle this business by giving the mines here to that company. When we opposed this, they did something that shouldn't be done and passed a law describing these places with their coordinates. You remember, we took the law to the Constitutional Court not in 60 days, but in hours. And we said to the Constitutional Court: 'Stop this injustice, cancel this.'

Now our application is sitting before the Constitutional Court. Fearing that the Constitutional Court would issue a cancellation decision, they went and took an urgent expropriation decision with the President's signature on January 10. Now, from here, those with a conscience... Stop, don't boo, let me explain this part. I want to boo a lot too, but first, it is a duty to complain about these things to the people who voted for this AK Party, who voted for the MHP, who will fast in the holy month of Ramadan in the coming days, who pray five times a day, and who are not aware of this evil.''

"WE WANT THE EARLY ELECTION BALLOT BOX"  

I do not expect Erdoğan to increase the 20 thousand lira pension to 42 thousand lira, which is 1.5 times the minimum wage as it used to be, or to make the minimum pension 39 thousand lira as we said. We do not want a raise in the minimum wage, a raise for retirees, free housing for earthquake victims, dormitories for students, a Turkey without bans, or a Europe without visas from Erdoğan. If I ask for anything from Erdoğan, shame on me. We want only one thing from him: We want the early election ballot box, the early election ballot box.'' 

News Source: 12punto