Following the operation conducted at Bakırköy Municipality in the morning hours, YENİ Party Istanbul Provincial Chair Özgür Çelik made a statement in front of the municipal building. It was reported that detention warrants were issued for 68 people as part of the operation, and that deputy mayors, two municipal council members, and individuals serving in various units of the municipality were taken into custody.
Çelik drew attention to the fact that the operation took place on the day that Bakırköy Mayor Ayşegül Ovalıoğlu and several other mayors and council members were expected to join the YENİ Party. Çelik stated, "Today, we once again woke up to a dawn raid. A tyrannical government that has lost the ability to govern Turkey aims for two things with these dawn raids. First, they want to design politics through the judiciary; second, they want to cover up Turkey's real agendas."
"WE ARE FACING A DUAL LEGAL SYSTEM"
Çelik argued that what is happening in Bakırköy is not independent of the municipal operations of the last two years. Claiming that the operation aims to disrupt services in the municipality, Çelik said, "They aim to disrupt the populist and action-oriented municipal practices here at Bakırköy Municipality."
Touching upon the "fund issue" on the agenda, Çelik stated that this topic stands out among Turkey's primary problems in public opinion polls, and alleged that the operations were carried out to cover up the real agenda. Çelik said, "We are facing a complete dual legal system."
Those who cannot govern the country, those who leave no rent to exploit in the areas they govern, have set their sights on the people's municipalities.
Çelik stated that they trust the colleagues of Ayşegül Ovalıoğlu and said the detentions were "unjust and unlawful." Noting that Ovalıoğlu did not abandon her decision to join the YENİ Party due to the operation, Çelik described this stance as "courage."
In the statement, it was announced that in addition to Bakırköy Mayor Ayşegül Ovalıoğlu, Küçükçekmece Mayor Kemal Çebi, Çatalca Mayor Erhan Güzel, and Deputy Mayor of Büyükçekmece Hakan Çebi also joined the YENİ Party in the evening hours.
At the end of his speech, Çelik stated that the operations and pressures would not make them take a step back, saying, "Let no one fall into despair in the face of these practices. We are here, we are standing tall."
News Source: 12punto
