Tag: Kilicdaroglu

  • Turkey Opposition Leader Says Backs Talks With Ocalan

    Turkey Opposition Leader Says Backs Talks With Ocalan

    By Selcuk Gokoluk

    Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu says party is giving new chance to ruling AK Party to solve Turkey’s Kurdish problem, NTV website reports. * NOTE: Imprisoned PKK chief Abdullah Ocalan says agreement reached with Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization on withdrawal of PKK militants from Turkey, Vatan reports, citing Kurdish politicians who met Ocalan * NOTE: PKK militants have been fighting for autonomy in the southeast since 1984 in a conflict that has killed about 40,000 people

    via Turkey Opposition Leader Says Backs Talks With Ocalan: NTV – Bloomberg.

  • Kemal Kilicdaroglu: Turkey Can’t Afford Its Saber-Rattling – WSJ.com

    Kemal Kilicdaroglu: Turkey Can’t Afford Its Saber-Rattling – WSJ.com

    The refugee issue shouldn’t be a pretense for meddling in Syrian affairs beyond what’s required for self-defense. This is a fight that Turks simply do not want.

    By KEMAL KILICDAROGLU

    The Turkish Parliament’s Oct. 4 vote authorizing the use of troops against Bashar Assad’s regime has pushed the tension between the two nervous neighbors to a new threshold. Most Turks agree that Assad has no place in the future of Syria. What they want is a peaceful transition based on Syrians’ free will and via international dialogue and political support.

    The hard-power path the Turkish government appears to be taking, however, could lead instead to a disastrous escalation of violence.

    Syria is now in a state of all-out civil war, with the death toll reaching more than 30,000 and tens of thousands of refugees fleeing the country each day. Turkey serves as a secure haven for those who are desperately in need of aid, and my Republican People’s Party (CHP) supports the government’s humanitarian measures. But we oppose using the refugee issue as a pretense for meddling in Syrian affairs.

    To bring peace to Syria, the international community must ensure that all legitimate factions in Syria have an effective voice in determining their country’s future. What we have instead is a bloody stalemate in which different international players are arming factions of their choice.

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    Associated Press

    The lawmakers seen during a debate at Turkey’s parliament in Ankara on Oct. 4.

    For its own defense, Turkey had to respond to the deaths of its citizens, and it has done so by returning fire across the border under the new rules of military engagement. But Parliament’s authorization of war is risky and unwarranted. The vote demonstrates the apparent preference of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) for becoming an actor in the conflict instead of a party to its resolution—even though polls, such as a recent survey by the German Marshall Fund, have found that a majority of Turks are opposed to the AKP’s aggressive stance on Syria.

    The CHP voted against the AKP plan for four reasons:

    • Given the complex religious and ethnic divides of the conflict, we believe diplomacy is the only way to achieve peace in Syria. The removal of Assad cannot be the end goal; rather, the ultimate objective must be the establishment of a legitimate, democratic and secular regime to replace him. This will not be possible without negotiations that involve all parties. Injecting troops onto an already chaotic battlefield will only increase the bloodshed.

    • Opposing military intervention by Turkey is far from a vote in favor of the brutal oppression of Assad. Rather, it is rejection of the legitimacy, the rationale and the wisdom of further intrusion in Syrian affairs. A unilateral decision in favor of war would reframe the Syrian crisis as a conflict between just two countries. Turkey cannot afford to bear this burden alone.

    • The threat of troop deployment is unlikely to be an effective deterrent. Turkish officials have already stated that Turkey has no intention of going to war with Syria. In that light the Oct. 4 vote does not look serious and could therefore embolden the Assad regime. On the other hand, if Turkey does intervene, it could drag in other neighbors and world powers. This could inflame tensions with the Kurds, who live on both sides of the border.

    • Turks simply do not want this battle—their longstanding ties with Syrians remain strong, and border skirmishes are not a good enough reason to launch a full-scale war.

    As the leader of Turkey’s main opposition party, I presented in August a comprehensive plan under which all sides of the conflict would be joined at the negotiating table by the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, the Arab League, the EU and Iran. But the AKP promptly dismissed the plan and continued to support opposition fighters, deepening the chaos.

    Turkey’s long tradition of secular and open governance, and its relationship with the Syrian people, make it a pre-eminent actor in forging a diplomatic solution for Syria. Bringing more force into an already bloody situation is unlikely to do anything other than continue to tear apart a country already victimized by its dictator. What we need in our region is not another war, but peace.

    Mr. Kilicdaroglu is the leader of Turkey’s Republican People’s Party.

    via Kemal Kilicdaroglu: Turkey Can’t Afford Its Saber-Rattling – WSJ.com.

  • Being Armenian is not insult

    Being Armenian is not insult

    123030ISTANBUL. – An Istanbul court made a ruling on the lawsuit filed by Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chairman Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who had sued the author of the book entitled “Engineer Kemal: Son of Dersim Armenian [Woman] Yemus” and noted that a slander campaign was launched against him by way of ethnic identity.

    The court, however, ruled that the harsh and crude expressions used in the book are within the parameters of freedom of speech specified by the European Convention on Human Rights, Istanbul’s Agos Armenian bilingual weekly reports.

    According to the ruling, the expressions used in the book do not jeopardize Kilicdaroglu’s political career and his professional and personal life.

    To note, the aforesaid book was distributed in the Turkish parliament in February 2011, and it included offensive expressions against the CHP leader, and his mother’s being Armenian was portrayed from an offensive point of view.

    As a result, Kemal Kilicdaroglu had filed a claim for compensation and demanded that the court order the collection of the book’s copies from bookstores.

    via Being Armenian is not insult | Armenia News – NEWS.am.

  • Opposition being silenced in Turkey

    Opposition being silenced in Turkey

    Kemal Kılıçdaroglu for The Washington Post

    KILICDAROGLU CHP1Many in Washington have been debating whether Turkey’s governing Justice and Development Party (AKP) could be a model for the Arab Spring , as our neighbors in the Middle East aspire to get rid of totalitarian regimes and become true democracies. But the reality in Turkey makes clear that the AKP model does not hold.

    On Nov. 9 I visited the Silivri prison where hundreds of journalists, publishers, military officers, academics and politicians are being held. Trials were opened in 2007 on charges that an ultranationalist underground organization had plotted for years to overthrow the government. Many of those indicted have been detained for years without trial. There has not been a single conviction to date. Justice is at stake — and, so far, has been flagrantly denied. At work is an insidious attack on the rule of law by Turkey’s governing party. These trials could have been an occasion for Turkey to achieve a much-needed catharsis for correcting past wrongs, but they have been turned into instruments to silence the opposition and suppress freedoms.

    Among those being held are eight opposition members of parliament. Turkey’s high election board declared that these people were qualified to stand for elections, and all won seats in parliament. That they are incarcerated violates their rights under Turkish law as elected representatives of the people.

    A universal norm of the rule of law is that one is innocent until proven guilty. Another is that evidence leads to the arrest of a suspect. In today’s Turkey, however, people are treated as guilty until proven innocent. One gets arrested; then authorities gather evidence to establish an infraction. Presumed guilt is the norm. Sadly, all opponents of the government are viewed as potential terrorists or plotters against the state.

    The AKP is systematic and ruthless in its persecution of any opposition to its policies. Authoritarian pressure methods such as heavy tax fines and illegal videotaping and phone tapping are widely used to silence opponents. Even more disturbing is the AKP’s claim that such things are being done in the name of democratic progress. The latest government target is the primary vestige of our democracy, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), which I lead.

    While at the Silivri center in November, I likened the conditions to those of a concentration camp and said that prosecutors and judges were not meting out justice and did not deserve to be called upholders of justice. This month, I learned that the prosecutor’s office had opened an inquiry into my comments, contending that I was “seeking to influence a fair trial” and “insulting public officials.” Never mind that not a day passes without some comment by government officials, such as the prime minister, on the process of law and justice. Clearly, an effort to single out the leader of the main opposition party ratchets up the pressures on freedom of expression. Meanwhile, the Constitutional Court penalized our party when we asked for the chief justice to recuse himself from particular cases. Our request was based on ill will, we were told when the $3,000 fine was levied, and the CHP was unnecessarily preoccupying the court’s time.

    It all boils down to this: In today’s Turkey, when one criticizes the justice system, one is prosecuted. When one appeals to the courts, one is penalized.

    But here is why I stand behind my words: I have the right and duty to be critical of all that is wrong in my country. It is my inalienable right to point to injustices and to ask for justice. If the courts are not performing their duty, one can, and should, stand up and say so. I do not ask for forgiveness. Rather, I want my own immunity as a member of parliament to be lifted so that I can be tried in a court for all to witness the outcome. Righteousness is the ultimate immunity.

    Turkey today is a country where people live in fear and are divided politically, economically and socially. Our democracy is regressing in terms of the separation of powers, basic human rights and freedoms and social development and justice. Citizens worry deeply about their future. These points are, sadly, reflected in most major international indexes, such as Human Rights Watch, which rank Turkey quite low in terms of human rights, democracy, freedoms and equality.

    Our party stands for democracy, secularism, the rule of law, human rights and freedoms. We envision a progressive Turkey where citizens, regardless of their faith, ethnicity, gender or political view, are equal before the law. Building political, economic and cultural walls between people is not consistent with democracy or social justice. Only a nation at peace with itself can be a model for its neighbors. A nation plagued by multiple forms of division and polarization is doomed to failure.

    Tactics such as oppression, preying on fear and restricting freedoms can help sustain a government’s rule for only so long. Never in history has a government succeeded in ruling permanently through authoritarian measures. Oppression does not endure; righteousness does. Turkey will be no exception.

     

  • CHP holds EU responsible for democracy in Turkey

    CHP holds EU responsible for democracy in Turkey

    Hüseyin Hayatsever

    ANKARA – Hürriyet Daily News

    Sweden’s Bildt hears criticism from the opposition on EU’s support to government. DAILY NEWS photo, Selahattin SÖNMEZ
    Sweden’s Bildt hears criticism from the opposition on EU’s support to government. DAILY NEWS photo, Selahattin SÖNMEZ

    Turkey’s main opposition leader has told the Swedish foreign minister that the European Union holds responsibility for growing government control of the judiciary and the persecution of journalists because of the support it gave to last year’s constitutional amendments, party sources said.

    “The government has taken control of the judiciary following the constitutional amendments of 2010,” sources quoted Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu as telling Carl Bildt when the two met behind closed doors yesterday.

    The leader of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) criticized the latest EU report on Turkey’s accession progress, saying it failed to sufficiently highlight “the anti-democratic actions” of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), sources said.

    “The EU did not put enough emphasis on this issue. The EU also holds responsibility for the anti-democratic environment in Turkey,” Kılıçdaroğlu was quoted as saying at the meeting.

    Bildt, however, described the progress report as “balanced” and said Turkey must undertake further reforms.

    Kılıçdaroğlu also advised the EU against high expectations from the new constitution process, arguing that even the current constitution was frequently violated.

    “A new constitution will not solve every single problem for Turkey. For instance, the right to privacy is being violated, although it is enshrined in the current constitution,” he said, according to sources.

    Without elaborating, Kılıçdaroğlu told Bildt the CHP was ready to support any “reasonable” proposals by the AKP on the Kurdish issue.

    Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Bildt tacitly confirmed media reports that the Friends of Turkey group in the EU was working on a plan to end the deadlock in Turkey’s accession talks.

    “There are some challenges and difficulties and it requires discussion both between the different countries of the EU and between the EU and Turkey,” Bildt said. “It’s hardly new in that particular aspect, but of course we are working on the different items that can keep the positive momentum on certain issues.”

    via CHP holds EU responsible for democracy in Turkey – Hurriyet Daily News.

  • CHP leader: Turkey Deputy PM Atalay is ‘mole’ in charity fraud probe

    CHP leader: Turkey Deputy PM Atalay is ‘mole’ in charity fraud probe

    Main Turkish opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıcdaroglu claimed that Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay warned members of the German-based religious Turkish charity fund Deniz Feneri(Lighthouse) and its affiliated television channel Kanal 7 prior to a police operation to arrest members who were implicated in charity fraud.

    CHP head Kılıcdaroglu: AKP deputy PM Atalay is ''Mole''
    CHP head Kılıcdaroglu: AKP deputy PM Atalay is ''Mole''

    CHP leader stated during his party’s parliamentary group meeting that deputy prime minister is providing insider information to suspects in a high-profile charity fraud investigation in a long-awaited revelation. Besir Atalay, who was the interior minister at a former administration, was the person who had warned them of a possible police search of their offices prior to the raid that took place on July 6. He reiterated his claims that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has links to the alleged corruption within (Deniz Feneri) Lighthouse Charity Fund and accused the ruling party of trying to cover up an ongoing investigation into the allegations of fraud

    Former Turkish Interior Minister : Suspect in Islamic Charity Fraud ?

    “Who did the interior minister learn from that there would be a police search [of the offices of Deniz Feneri suspects]? He possibly learned about it from the police officers at the National Police Department. When he left his post as interior minister, his private security manager left the ministry but his official security manager is still with him. Atalay fears he the official security manager will reveal all the facts and get him into trouble,” alleged CHP Head Kılıcdaroglu.

    “These documents prove that the suspects were informed about the raid,” said Kılıçdaroğlu, giving information on telephone calls made on Sept. 14, 2009. The raid took place on Oct. 16, 2009.

    CHP head Kılıcdaroglu: AKP deputy PM Atalay is ”Mole”

    “This is the dossier of the mole,” Kılıçdaroğlu said, lifting up the dossier in his hand to a cheering audience. “The mole is Beşir Atalay.”

    The ruling AKP denied immediately any links with the charity and recently called on the CHP leader to prove his claims. Releasing a written statement on Tuesday, Atalay said Kılıçdaroğlu’s claims were all lies and slander aimed at him. Atalay rejected Kılıçdaroğlu’s accusations in a written statement released late yesterday. Atalay’s statement said Kılıçdaroğlu should “look into those who betray their professions and leak secret documents” if he is looking for a mole.

    The Deniz Feneri (Lighthouse) administration is accused of funneling money collected for charity from pious workers in Germany into various companies and businesses in Turkey. In September 2008 a German court convicted three Turkish men of funneling $26 million in charitable contributions raised by Deniz Feneri to companies run by conservative individuals in Turkey. The Lighthouse probe was launched in Turkey after a Frankfurt court in 2008 convicted three managers of the Lighthouse e.V. charity in Germany for embezzling 40 million euros. Most of the money is believed to have ended up in Turkey in the coffers of the pro-government and conservative islamist Kanal 7 television channel and a business group whose owners are close to the AKP government.

    Nearly a dozen people have been arrested as part of the investigation thus far. Former Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) head Zahit Akman, Kanal 7 Deputy General Manager İsmail Karahan, News Editor Mustafa Çelik, CFO Erdoğan Kara and Kanal 7 CEO Zekeriya Karaman are also among the suspects arrested. Ali Solak, who is suspected of acting as the “bank” for the suspected charity fraud ring, was also arrested as part of the investigation into the charity’s Turkish links.

    Lighthouse charity fraud : on EU agenda

    The Lighthouse case was high on the agenda of a meeting between Kılıçdaroğlu and the co-chair of the Germany’s Greens, Claudia Roth, late on Oct. 9.

    Roth denounced the removal of the three original prosecutors from the case as an open intervention into the judiciary, CHP sources said. In a pointed response, Kılıçdaroğlu said the EU was also responsible for the incident because of the support it gave to last year’s constitutional amendments that changed the structure of the Supreme Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK).

    “Europe did not hear our voice and backed the AKP [Justice and Development Party] in the referendum,” Kılıcdaroglu was quoted as stating. Claudia Roth voiced “serious concern” over freedom of press in Turkey, the sources said, adding that she also suggested that the CHP seek dialogue with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) as part of efforts to resolve the Kurdish conflict.

    via CHP leader: Turkey Deputy PM Atalay is ‘mole’ in charity fraud probe.