* Photograph: Evrim Aydın - Ankara / AA
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Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has addressed the members of his party at the last weekly group meeting before the İstanbul Metropolitan Mayoral election rerun on June 23.
Touching upon a series of issues including the upcoming İstanbul election, trials of Academics for Peace, the lawsuit filed against 38 people for having reported and commented on financial crisis and the foreign policy of Turkey, Kılıçdaroğlu has said, "We will receive the certificate of election once again. We will put our hands on our hearts and cast our votes."
According to unofficial results of March 31 local elections, CHP's Ekrem İmamoğlu was elected the İstanbul Metropolitan Mayor; however, after the Supreme Election Council (YSK) annulled the Metropolitan Mayoral elections on May 6, the certificate of İmamoğlu was also revoked.
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Some highlights from Kılıçdaroğlu's speech are as follows:
'Have unemployment and poverty been eliminated?'
"I would like to call on my brothers and sisters from the [ruling] AKP: What did [President and AKP Chair] Erdoğan say? 'Cast your votes for this brother of yours, I will fix everything.' You cast your votes for him. But, have unemployment and poverty been eliminated?
"We have a young friend. He is an honorable friend. Ekrem İmamoğlu is a decent friend. He say, 'I will fix İstanbul.' He says, 'I will beat poverty.'
"'They do not have any idea about poverty. There are thousands of children in İstanbul who have never seen the sea,' he says. He [Erdoğan] says, 'You cannot serve, I will take back the certificate of election.'
"We will receive the certificate of election once again. We will put our hands on our hearts and cast our votes.
Trials of Academics for Peace
"A group of academics signed a peace declaration. Some of them signatory to the declaration have been behind bars, some of them have been released.
"An academic signed the peace declaration. The judge asks, she gives her answer. A prison sentence of 30 months is foreseen. Her lawyer says, 'Another court gave a verdict of acquittal in a similar case.' The judge answers, 'It is the shame of that court.' A judge humiliates another judge. The statement used by this so-called judges casts a shadow upon the judiciary."
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Lawsuit for Reporting, Commenting on Financial Crisis
Regarding the lawsuit filed by the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency (BDDK) against 38 people for having reported or commented on financial crisis, Kılıçdaroğlu has said,
"It is forbidden in this country to say 'There is a crisis.' If you want to file a criminal complaint, then file it against the ones who have turned the country to such a place. The kitchens are on fire. The BDDK want the journalists to serve two years in prison. There is a real fire in economy.
"They have no idea about the economy. Economy is for people. Economy means development, economy means that everyone eats their fill. They foresee the economy for the palace. There are mothers who say that I can only feed my children with bread and tomato paste.
"They announce a program and say that economy will recover. It does not recover, because what you do is wrong. They announce a program, which is supposedly fix the economy. 1, 2, 3, 4, 10 programs... It does not recover."
CLICK - 38 Face Lawsuit for Reporting, Commenting on Economic Crisis
(AÖ/SD)
