CHP delegation in Ovacık! 'This is a political coup'

Ovacık Mayor Mustafa Sarıgül was removed from office and replaced by a trustee; a delegation consisting of CHP Diyarbakır Deputy Sezgin Tanrıkulu, Şanlıurfa Deputy Mahmut Tanal, Ankara Deputy Aliye Timisi Ersever, Party Assembly Member Saniye Barut, and former Tunceli Deputy Polat Şaroğlu, assigned by the CHP Headquarters, has arrived in Ovacık.

The CHP delegation, which marched in front of the municipal building with the local residents, later made a statement. Speaking first, CHP Diyarbakır Deputy Sezgin Tanrıkulu stated that Sarıgül had not committed any crime and that they did not recognize the court's decision.

'WE KNOW THE INVESTIGATION STARTED WITH AN ORDER'

Emphasizing that a fair trial was not conducted regarding Sarıgül, Tanrıkulu said, “We are extremely saddened. I will not say 'get well soon' to all of us. Because this is not a practice we will accept. We want this to be known. The trustee practice is a usurpation of the people's will. The trustee practice is a coup against democracy. The trustee practice is the clear removal of the right to vote and be elected from the hands of the people. As a political preference in 2016, the Justice and Development Party tried to pass a regulation in parliament that did not even occur to the devil, nor to the coup plotters in 1980. They could not pass it in parliament, and later, because they considered the July 15 coup attempt a 'gift from God,' they incorporated this trustee regulation into the legislation with a decree they obtained in 2016. We have opposed it in parliament from the very beginning. Since 2016, they have applied it three times throughout the entire region, and in this period, they are applying it throughout the region, starting in Istanbul. The decision announced yesterday is a decision we reject with the back of our hand. We will remove these barriers. Our Mayor has not committed any crime. We do not recognize that court decision either. We know where and how these decisions are made. We know that there was no fair trial process and that the investigation started with an order. This has nothing to do with democracy. This is a political coup. A coup is not only carried out with military force. If they are acting against the Constitution with the civilian will they have seized, this is also a political coup. We will continue to fight against this coup together with our people.”

'STOP THIS IMMEDIATELY'

Ovacık Mayor Mustafa Sarıgül, who was removed from office, touched upon the incident that was the subject of the lawsuit filed against him. Stating that they received the terrorist's funeral at the request of the prosecutor, Sarıgül said the following:

“The municipality you see behind you is the most pristine municipality in Turkey. It has never been in debt since the day it was founded. Perhaps they will come here tomorrow and throw out many absurdities. They will talk about debts. I want you to know from today that all of these are lies. Just as you elected me 12 years ago so that I could come to your funerals, your weddings, and be by your side in difficult days. If I have been a member of an organization for 12 years, why did the governor sit with me, why did he commit this crime? Why did the state officials work with me? Why did the police officers who are currently filming us with cameras entrust their children and wives to us? Why did we all do good work for this district together? But they pressed the button somewhere. They entered into such an effort to punish both the CHP and Ovacık at the same time, and to legitimize the sentence 'a trustee is appointed to DEM'—which sounds pleasant everywhere in Turkey—for the CHP as well. These barricades are driving the people to hatred and enmity. You are committing a crime. The person behind me is just a thief. He has stolen what belongs to me. He is turning a funeral we removed at the prosecutor's order into a criminal element. Go remove it yourself then. You are asking us for help because there is no security. You say 'intervene,' we intervene. You say, 'We cannot enter the region, provide support.' You ask for it, you say the police cannot pass through the valley, go together. If the prosecutor or the judge is exposed to something in the valley, is this what is deserved by this people who shield them? You are currently driving these people to hatred and enmity. Stop this immediately.”

'WE WILL FIGHT AGAINST LAWLESSNESS'

CHP Şanlıurfa Deputy Mahmut Tanal interpreted the trustee practice as a coup. Emphasizing that the will of the people cannot be taken back by administrative decisions, he said that the trustee decision was a political settling of scores. Stating that the trustee practice is contrary to the Constitution and international conventions, Tanal spoke as follows:

“No matter how you look at the issue, it is not in accordance with either the Constitution or international conventions. There is a fundamental rule: you cannot eliminate the will of the people with an administrative decision. The people of Ovacık elected Mustafa Sarıgül as mayor. The people send them away just as they brought them. This situation can only happen with an election result. It is unconstitutional for mayors whom you cannot defeat at the ballot box to be removed from office by administrative decisions. It is a usurpation of the right to vote and be elected. It is a usurpation of the national will. There is no other explanation for this. If they say they have given a conviction decision, if they say this decision was taken because he received a sentence, I will show you an address. The Hilal Town Mayor of the AKP in the Uludere district of Şırnak. His conviction for bribery and corruption has been finalized. You will not remove a mayor who has a finalized conviction for corruption, but removing our mayor, who does not yet have a finalized decision against him, is to destroy this democratic legal order and constitutional order.

This is a coup. It is a coup carried out by the political power by shelving the Constitution. We will fight against these coups and lawlessness. Stop this practice, which is against the law. This decision is not legal; it is a political decision. You cannot take back the will of the people with administrative decisions. We will not remain silent in the face of this lawlessness. We will continue our struggle to protect the will of the people and the fundamental principles of democracy. Turkey must return to the rule of law. These unlawful trustee appointments must be ended. It has caused destruction in this country. This destruction is to ignore the will of the people and to transition from a democratic regime to an authoritarian regime. This is a political settling of scores.”

After their contacts in the Ovacık district, the CHP delegation will go to the Tunceli city center to conduct various investigations.

News Source: 12punto