Investigation launched into SOL Party Spokesperson Önder İşleyen

The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has launched an investigation into SOL Party Spokesperson Önder İşleyen, citing speeches he has made and articles he has written over the last seven years. İşleyen, who is accused of "insulting the President" and "denigrating the Turkish nation, the Republic of Turkey, and the state's institutions and bodies," has provided his statement.

"WE ARE PROUD OF EVERY MOMENT"

Stating that he is proud of every moment included in the 80-page report prepared against him as part of the investigation, İşleyen said:

“This investigation is more than just an individual investigation against me; it is an investigation into the struggle of the SOL Party, of which I am a part and for which I serve as Spokesperson. The SOL Party is a party that carries the honor of the struggle against the AKP. It is a party that carries the honor of 50 years of revolutionary struggle.

We want everyone to know that we are proud of every moment they have compiled in an 80-page report by going back 7 years. Because this struggle of ours was a struggle not to surrender the country to a handful of exploiters and robbers. This struggle of ours was a stance against those who sell the country off piece by piece, those who dispose of its assets, and those who hand them over to domestic and foreign monopolies. It was a stance against the fascist pressures on the youth and women of this country, whose futures are being stolen. Our struggle was a struggle against the misery and hunger into which they have dragged the working people. We, of course, stand behind all of this.

"CONTINUING THE STRUGGLE"

This investigation itself is nothing more than new proof of how justified our struggle is. Our determination will continue, and of course, we will carry forward the struggle to win the rights and future of the country's working people and the oppressed. In the face of the AKP's efforts to deepen the regime by suppressing the entire society from top to bottom, our struggle will continue by turning every position they attack into a position of resistance. Such investigations only reinforce our determination and demonstrate the legitimacy of our struggle. Continuing the struggle.”

"THEY WANT TO HINDER THE SOL PARTY'S POLITICAL ACTIVITIES"

Stating that the actions presented as crimes in the file do not contain any criminal elements, İşleyen's lawyer, Gizem Özden, said the following regarding the investigation:

“A terrorism prosecutor has launched an investigation into my client, and this investigation file has been separated and sent to the special investigation bureau. In this context, my client has provided his statement regarding the accusations of insulting the President and denigrating the Turkish nation, the Republic of Turkey, and the state's institutions and bodies.

Almost all of the accusations consist of statements and speeches that expose the government's policies. None of the actions presented as crimes in the file contain any criminal elements. With the investigation launched, they do not want to judge only Önder İşleyen, but essentially the policies and actions of the SOL Party. Considering that the investigation covers a 7-year period, they are trying to hinder the SOL Party's political activities by trying to create crimes in a forced manner. They are essentially saying, 'Do not carry out any political activities, just stand quietly in a corner.'”

News Source: 12punto