CHP head denounces appointment of controversial deputy minister

ANKARA

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Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has denounced the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) government for appointing a controversial former deputy Abdurrahim Boynukalın, who delivered a fiery speech addressing hundreds of protesters who attacked daily Hürriyet on Sept. 6, as the country’s deputy minister of youth and sports. 

Kılıçdaroğlu criticized Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu for talking about morals, merits and defending press freedom and then appointing a deputy who attacked and threatened the media as a deputy minister. 

Citing the arrest of prominent journalists Erdem Gül and Can Dündar from daily Cumhuriyet, Kılıçdaroğlu also blamed Davutoğlu for not implementing the same morals and merits. He recalled an earlier proposal given by the CHP to the AKP to determine the fundamentals of such arrests.

“If the issue is morals and merits, than a journalist that correctly reports should not be in jail,” he said.  

The CHP leader also criticized the government of conducting a “fiasco in foreign policy.” 

Turkey is in quarrel with all its neighbors and making mistake after mistake, the CHP leader said, citing the recent deployment of Turkish troops to Mosul, which heightened tensions with Iraq.

“They sent troops to Iraq as if they were sending them to Hakkari and they did not inform the Iraqi government,” he stated.


Anti-terror fight should be carried out within law 

The Turkish state must conduct its fight against terrorism within the law, Kılıçdaroğlu has said.

Addressing his party group in parliament on Dec. 22, Kılıçdaroğlu questioned the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) while the country was “turning into an armory.” 

“Who presented this scene to the people?” the CHP leader said, claiming that the government “looked on” when the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) began storing arms in cities and districts.  

Some 200,000 people of the region have had to migrate, according to a study carried out by the Migrants’ Association for Social Cooperation and Culture (GÖÇ-DER), he said, adding that the government responsible for the case of affairs had been in power for 14 years. 

He also denounced the AKP government for appointing controversial former deputy Abdurrahim Boynukalın, who delivered a fiery speech addressing hundreds of protesters who attacked daily Hürriyet on Sept. 6, as the country’s deputy minister of youth and sports. 

Kılıçdaroğlu further criticized Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu for talking about morals, merits and defending press freedom and then appointing a deputy who attacked and threatened the media as a deputy minister. 
Citing the arrest of prominent journalists Erdem Gül and Can Dündar from daily Cumhuriyet, Kılıçdaroğlu also accused Davutoğlu of not implementing the same morals and merits, recalling an earlier proposal from the CHP to the AKP to determine the reasons for such arrests.

“If the issue is morals and merits, than a journalist that correctly makes a report should not be in jail,” he said.  

The CHP leader also criticized the government for overseeing a “fiasco in foreign policy.” 

Turkey is in quarrel with all its neighbors and making mistake after mistake, the CHP leader said, citing the recent deployment of Turkish troops to Mosul, which heightened tensions with Iraq.

“They sent troops to Iraq as if they were sending them to Hakkari and they did not inform the Iraqi government,” he said.