CHP Chair Kılıçdaroğlu: I Say It Loud and Clear, It was a Lynch Attempt

* Photograph: Evrim Aydın - Ankara / AA

Click to read the article in Turkish

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu spoke at the weekly group meeting of his party today (April 30).

In his speech, Kılıçdaroğlu touched upon a series of subjects ranging from the economy, jailed journalists, Osman Kavala, Eren Erdem to the attack launched against him at the funeral of a soldier in Çubuk, Ankara on April 21.

Regarding the attack, Kılıçdaroğlu stated the following:

'It is an open lynch attempt'

"We attended the funeral of a martyr in the village of Akkuzulu in Çubuk. They came to our district office for the funeral. They wanted a big flag from us and we gave it. I and my friends attended the funeral.

"A group did not let the funeral prayer be performed properly. What I want to raise concerns is the ones who staged provocations. I was the only party chair who attended that funeral. There were slogans and insults from the very beginning of the funeral.

"What was done to the deceased body of a martyr has hurt me a lot. And, secondly, it was also a lynch attempt. I am saying it loud and clear: It is a lynch attempt. We had a lucky escape.

"We kept our patience. I talked to Metropolitan Mayor of İstanbul Ekrem İmamoğlu twice while I was at that house [near the site of incident]. I told him there should be an embracing language [in the rally of İmamoğlu held in Maltepe in the meanwhile]."

'Journalists, Kavala, Erdem are behind bars'

In his speech, Kılıçdaroğlu also referred to the imprisonment of politicians, journalists and rights activists:

"We are not solely troubled by the economy. Musa Kart has been imprisoned. Hakan Kara is in prison, Güray Öz is in prison. They are the columnists of Cumhuriyet newspaper. They bring FETÖ-related [Fethullahist Terrorist Organization] charges against them.

"How come are they from the FETÖ? There is an unlawfulness. This unlawfulness has to be eliminated. The power-holders are not the ones who would eliminate this unlawfulness. It is the honorable judges who will fix it.

"Osman Kavala has been behind bars for 546 days. There is not even an indictment yet. [Former CHP MP] Eren Erdem has been behind bars for 305 days. He has struggled against the FETÖ all through his life and, now, he is behind bars on FETÖ-related charges.

"The Cumhuriyet newspaper case has been waiting for a judgement from the Constitutional Court for two years, the case files of [journalists] Ahmet Altan and Nazlı Ilıcak are waiting as well. The file of teacher Ayşe [Çelik], who said 'Don't let children die', is also waiting."

CLICK - 'The One Who Threw a Punch Free, Cartoonist Behind Bars'

CLICK - Constitutional Court to Examine Appeals of 10 Journalists

(EKN/SD)