Decrees are new coup memoranda: CHP spokesperson

ANKARA

Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputy leader Bülent Tezcan has blasted the latest state of emergency decrees and described it as “new coup memoranda.”

“The state of emergency decrees number 695 and 686 are the new coup memoranda for the July 20 coup. The military coups rule the country with martial law and civil coups rule the country with state of emergency decree,” read the written statement issued by Tezcan on Dec. 24, referring to the day the state of emergency was first declared.

His statement came after the government had issued two more state of emergency decrees on late Dec. 23, making legislative changes to 50 laws, around 10 changes to previous governmental decrees and issuing the dismissal of more than 1,000 public officials.

Reiterating the opposition party’s criticism towards the government’s post-coup measures, Tezcan accused the AKP of instrumentalizing the decrees to consolidate its power.

“Despite the fact that it has been 17 months since the declaration of the state of emergency, the government has not come near normalization, continuing to rule the country with extraordinary measures. The order of the coup has continued,” he said, describing July 20 as a “civil coup.”

“The state of emergency is not a need for the public. It is a need for the one-man regime. The state of emergency should be lifted immediately, normal conditions should be reinstated and Turkey should rapidly normalize,” Tezcan added.

“The executive is clearly redesigning the judiciary. The aim is to create a voting mechanism in favor of the ruling party in Council of State and Supreme Court elections and to pave a way to influence the general board on criminal matters and legal decisions,” he said, stating that the new decree had been issuing amendments to the laws on the Council of State and the Supreme Court.

“This effort is an effort to transform the high judiciary to the coup judiciary,” Tezcan said.

He also stated that with the new decree, the closure of regulatory authorities like the Turkish Sugar Authority, the Tobacco and Alcohol Market Regulatory Authority, the transfer of Vakıfbank’s General Directorate shares to the treasury and the establishment of new enterprises that will make investments on the military field are also an indicator of government’s will to intervene in the economy.

“They are evincing the one-man regime’s understanding of economic management and market regulation,” said Tezcan.

Single-type uniforms

He also criticized the “single-type uniform” regulation that all suspects and convicts under arrest in Turkey for “crimes against the constitutional order” must wear during court appearances.

Tezcan has blasted the new decree that stipulates brown and grey jumpsuits for different convictions by saying “it is a violation of the principle presumption of innocence.”

“It is a disclosure of the prejudice of conviction during the trial process,” he said.

“The memories of the deep scars that the single-type uniform has inflicted on our recent history is still vivid. This has no benefit for the judicial process. A trial cannot be heard with feelings of revenge,” added Tezcan.