Message from prison by Şişli Mayor Şahan: The target is not just Şişli

Şişli Mayor Resul Emrah Şahan, who has been imprisoned for about a month as part of the "Urban Reconciliation" investigation conducted into the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB), has shared his assessments regarding his detention. Speaking to the Cumhuriyet newspaper from prison, Şahan described the past month.

Stating that "This place is a place for us to work, to grow hope, and to prepare for tomorrow," Şahan noted that they are not disconnected from the outside world: "Our deputies, our lawyers, our citizens who send us messages; they are all with us. We feel it."

"THE GUARDIANS OF ISTANBUL"

Şahan also touched upon the phrase "guardians of Istanbul," which is used to describe the IBB administration and its team. Evaluating this definition not just as a reference to individuals but to a management approach, Şahan stated the following:

"The guardianship of Istanbul is the name of a political will that protects the heritage of this ancient city and acts with common sense on behalf of the people. Ekrem İmamoğlu and the cadres shaped around him – Mahir Polat, Buğra Gökce, Gürkan Akgün, Tayfun Kahraman, Mehmet Murat Çalık, and many others – are the representatives of this understanding."

Noting that the targeting of four urban planners in the operations was not coincidental in this context, Şahan said that the politics-planning relationship established under İmamoğlu's leadership since 2019 has protected Istanbul from a rent-oriented approach, adding, "If this cadre were not here, Kanal Istanbul would have already started."

"THE TARGET IS NOT JUST ŞİŞLİ"

Mayor Şahan stated that as the Şişli Municipality, they have carried out significant work during his term and have waged a serious struggle against urban rent-seeking, and included the following remarks:

"We followed many critical issues that were also reflected in the press, and we carried out sealings. We have been monitoring the reserve building area, which we call 'Şişli's Kanal Istanbul,' from the very beginning. In the face of million-dollar residences, we made our little girl Şirin, who lives in poverty, inequality, and shantytowns, the subject of our focus. We said that the rent of Şişli belongs to Kuştepe, to Paşa, to Yayla; in other words, it belongs to our citizens who live in this district and are waiting for transformation."

"A SIGN OF THE GOVERNMENT'S FEAR"

Şahan also said that the social democratic management approach is being targeted. He interpreted the desire to appoint a trustee to Şişli, the center of art, finance, and politics in Istanbul, which has been governed by social democracy for 25 years, as an "expression of desperation":

"The target is not just Şişli. This operation is an attempt by a government that has lost the consent of the nation to use the judiciary and bureaucracy as its last bastion out of fear of İmamoğlu. They cannot produce politics, they cannot get support from the public. That is why they are targeting elected officials."

"THE PEOPLE OF ŞİŞLİ MUST PROTECT THEIR VOTE AND THEIR RIGHTS"

Şahan also sent a message to the people of Şişli. Addressing citizens who are worried, the Mayor stated that the public must protect their will regardless of political affiliation.

Finally, stating that they have received great support from many segments of society, Şahan emphasized that Şişli will tell of this process with pride in the future, noting the following:

"This period will be remembered in the future as a city struggle that will be recalled with resistance and honor, just like in the years of the War of Independence for Şişli. Rest assured. We continue to work for Şişli."

News Source: 12punto