Turkey may face internal conflict, says main opposition CHP leader
ANKARA
Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu addresses his party during a parliamentary group meeting. DAILY NEWS photo, Selahattin SÖNMEZ
The government has destroyed the country’s sense of justice and this could lead to critical conflicts among people, according to the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader.“The government has ruined justice, which is the assurance of our coexistence. If justice is destroyed, polarization and arguments begin ... Turkey is rapidly moving in this direction. If serious and critical conflicts emerge soon, it is the government that is responsible for it, as they have ruined justice and annihilated people’s hopes for the future,” CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said on Oct. 22 in his address to his party’s parliamentary group meeting.
The opposition leader criticized the Supreme Court of Appeals for its recent approval of the convictions of 237 suspects in the Balyoz (Sledgehammer) coup plot case, challenging the judges who approved the convictions of Balyoz suspects and calling on them to hold a press conference to explain their justifications for their rulings.
Kılıçdaroğlu detailed the inconsistencies in the indictments of case, highlighting what he described as “fabrications.” “The indictments are full of fabricated evidence. Writing fonts and street names that did not exist during the alleged coup plot are included,” he said.
The CHP head also recalled that the European Union had extended its criticism for the unlawful practices in Balyoz case in Turkey’s recent EU accession progress report.
Kılıçdaroğlu also referred to the Dreyfus affair in 19th century France, in which famous writer Emile Zola paved the way for the exoneration of the falsely convicted army officer Alfred Dreyfus.
“Turkey has many Dreyfus affairs, but it has no Emile Zola to defend those Dreyfuses. We may have no Emile Zola, but we have the brilliant youth of Gezi Park. We are proud of them,” he said.