CHP files criminal complaint against Minister Tekin

The CHP has filed a criminal complaint with the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office against Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin, accusing him of publicly inciting hatred and enmity and misconduct in public office due to his remarks regarding secularism.

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CHP files criminal complaint against Minister Tekin

The Republican People's Party (CHP) has filed a criminal complaint regarding the statements made by Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin concerning secularism.

CHP Deputy Chairman Suat Özçağdaş and party members, in a statement made in front of the Ankara Courthouse, alleged that Tekin had made remarks contrary to the Constitution and the oath he took.

Özçağdaş claimed that Tekin made statements targeting the principles of the Republic and secularism at the AKP Batman Central District Congress, arguing that these expressions violated Articles 81 and 174 of the Constitution.

HE TARGETED THE PRINCIPLE OF SECULARISM

Stating that secularism is one of Atatürk's six fundamental principles, Özçağdaş said:

“Secularism means that the state order is based on reason, logic, and science. Minister Yusuf Tekin has acted against his constitutional oath by targeting secularism with false and distorted statements. He is accused of publicly inciting the public to hatred and enmity and of misconduct in public office.”

CRIMINAL COMPLAINT PETITION SUBMITTED TO THE PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE

Stating that Yusuf Tekin's words should also be evaluated within the scope of Article 216 of the Turkish Penal Code, the CHP members submitted the criminal complaint petition to the prosecutor's office. The petition requested a detailed investigation, citing the provision in the Constitution regarding the protection of the revolution laws.

WHAT DID YUSUF TEKİN SAY?

Minister of National Education Yusuf Tekin, who attended the 8th Ordinary Congress of the AKP Batman Central District, included the following statements in his speech there:

"They are criticizing me. They tell me that what I said is contrary to secular education. I say that it may be contrary to you, but it is not contrary to the values of the citizens in Batman or Erzurum. If there is a contradiction, there is a contradiction between what you understand by secularism and what the citizen understands. This is what you understand by secularism; remember the 1940s, locking the doors of mosques, turning mosques into stables, banning citizens from learning the Quran. This is what you understand by secularism. You did these things as a requirement of secularism. So, what you understand by secularism and what I understand are not the same. I understand secularism as the state guaranteeing the freedom of religious belief and worship for all citizens, regardless of which religion they believe in. What do you understand? You understand the shackling and banning of Muslims' freedom of belief. Then there is undoubtedly a difference between our understandings of secularism. I am in favor of universal secularism; you are imposing on me a concept of secularism that you invented, unique to Turkey. This cannot be. What you understand by secularism is this: taking a child who wants to go to university with a headscarf into persuasion rooms and trying to persuade them; you did this as a requirement of secularism. While doing this, you defended yourself with secularism. Well, is the secularism you defend the same as the secularism I understand? It is not."

News Source: 12punto