‘Turkey turning into Nazi camp’
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Speaking at the 14th general meeting of the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey (DİSK), Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu also slammed the government over the recent detention orders for four Turkish Intelligence Service (MİT) staff. DAILY NEWS photo, Emrah GÜREL
Turkey’s main opposition leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has slammed the government over Turkey’s specially authorized courts saying that the courts are transforming Turkey into a Nazi camp day by day.“These courts are converting Turkey to a Nazi camp day by day, the government convinced Turkey that they were getting rid of coup institutions but they just maintain the same methods with a different image,” Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kılıçdaroğlu said.
The courts were transformed from the (now defunct) State Security Court (DGM) system and their roots go back to the military commissions of 1980 coup, Kılıçdaroğlu said, adding that the courts function as extensions of the 1980 coup institutions.
Kılıçdaroğlu also called on Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to make a statement on the recent detention orders for four Turkish Intelligence Service (MİT) staff saying that “Turkey is in a chaos today which cannot be managed by the government.”
Speaking at 14th general meeting of the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey (DİSK) on Jan. 10, Kılıçdaroğlu said the Prime Minister cannot govern the state and he is in an impotent situation.
Kılıçdaroğlu said Erdoğan did not know how to handle this crisis surrounding an Istanbul prosecutor’s order to detain Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MİT) chief staff Hakan Fidan.
“President Abdullah Gül, the Chief of General staff and the Prime Minister, they are all involved in [this chaotic situation] and we do not know what is going on in this country. Is it an internal feud or are there real guilty people?” he said.
“To make a way out of the chaotic environment, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan must make a press statement urgently instead of keeping silent.”
Meanwhile sub-contract workers of Beşiktaş and Maltepe district municipalities, who were present in the meeting, protested Kılıçdaroğlu for being dismissed from their jobs.
During his speech, Kılıçdaroğlu backed DİSK for their “organized struggle aiming for labor rights,” however he was protested by the workers of two CHP municipalities for his words critiquing the sub-contract system of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) municipalities.
“What about the CHP municipalities, we were fired by your men,” protesters said. Kılıçdaroğlu had difficulty speaking for a long time due to the continued protests.
Blunder over former prime minister
In the middle of his speech, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu was given a note which he then voiced as “an arrest warrant was issued for Turkey’s former Prime Minister Tansu Çiller. However, Kılıçdaroğlu, ten minutes later, contradicted himself, saying that the note was not confirmed.
“My fellow colleagues gave me the note however we learned that it was not right,” he told reporters after his speech.