Altan Öymen: 'I have never seen a period like this!'

Former Republican People's Party (CHP) chairman and veteran journalist Altan Öymen attended the gathering held in Saraçhane on March 19 following the detention of CHP Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and over 100 others. He climbed onto the bus where speeches were being delivered and expressed his reaction alongside former chairmen Murat Karayalçın and Hikmet Çetin.

Evaluating the detention of IMM Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, Beşiktaş Mayor Rıza Akpolat, Esenyurt Mayor Ahmet Özer, Şişli Mayor Resul Emrah Şahan, and other CHP officials, Öymen compared the current situation to past eras, saying, 'I have never seen a period like this in my life.'

REACTION TO DAWN RAIDS

Addressing the pressures on members of the press, Öymen said:

''In the 1950s, they first detained Cüneyt Arcayürek and Bedii Faik Akın, and kept the two journalists inside for 15 days because they criticized the government. I mean, a lawsuit was going to be filed, but it was like a detention situation. Later, they released these friends. In those periods, if a person had committed a crime, the execution of the sentence would begin. Now, there is no execution of a sentence; the indictment hasn't even been written yet, and people are in jail. Not for 3 months, 5 months, 7 months; sometimes it reaches years. And this is not the execution of a sentence, it becomes the application of a penalty. In other words, detention is now being used as a punishment. Detention is now being used as a punishment.''

Referring to the dawn raids carried out in the morning hours, Öymen also reacted to the handcuffed detentions and the images served to the media, emphasizing that such practices aim to discredit individuals, but that the real disrepute is experienced by those who carry out these practices.

'IF THERE IS DEMOCRACY, THERE IS PROTEST'

Arguing that Turkey's democratization process was more consistent in some respects even during military periods, Altan Öymen stated, 'I do not remember another period where we have moved so far away from democratization.'

Citing the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Öymen stated that the right to assembly and demonstration is a fundamental, inherent right, and that people can freely protest in squares in major European cities. 'Where there is democracy, there is protest,' Öymen added, noting that Turkey is no longer in a 'good place' in the community of democratic countries.

Greeting the public from the top of the bus at the rally held in Saraçhane on March 19, Öymen described the gathering as 'exciting and full of hope,' and shared his observations as follows:

''I have rarely seen such a dense, enthusiastic crowd filling the squares. There were many young people and women. The Chairman of the Republican People's Party gave a beautiful speech. The wife of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor and his child, who is currently inside, were also there.''

Reminding that he has been a member of the Republican People's Party for 75 years, Altan Öymen pointed out that the party is the only political structure that has come to this day while preserving its name and line since the Association for the Defense of the Rights of Anatolia and Rumelia. He emphasized that other parties were closed during the September 12 period, other parties were established in their place, and today their names are not even mentioned.

THE GOVERNMENT'S GREAT CONTRADICTION

Evaluating the investigations conducted regarding the cooperation between the CHP and the DEM Party in the local elections, Öymen stated that this situation is a great contradiction:

''On one hand, the government is talking to the DEM Party and the PKK, and on the other hand, it is opening an investigation into the CHP by saying 'you cooperated with them.' What kind of logic is this? These contradictions have not been passed through a healthy filter of thought. You cannot just tell someone 'you are guilty' out of the blue. Even if a lawsuit is filed against someone, no one can be declared guilty until the verdict is finalized. This is incompatible with democracy.''

News Source : Sercan Meriç