"They asked me 'Who do you trust?' I trust my nation."

NEWS CENTER

CHP held a meeting on the 100th day of the arrest of many people, including Ekrem İmamoğlu , within the scope of the investigations against the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality ( IMM ).

CHP Chairman Özgür Özel made harsh statements at the "100 BLACK" themed meeting held in Şişli.

Özel reacted to the government and the judiciary due to those arrested within the scope of the IMM investigation, especially AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Özel said at the beginning of his speech, "My dear companions, today we are here for two important meetings on an important day, we are in Istanbul. We are here with you on the day and time of our parliamentary group meeting, and in the evening, at the place where everything started, at the time it all started, at 20:30, we are all together in Saraçhane. In the face of a great injustice, right in the middle of a shame for democracy, we are here to stand tall with our struggle; to remember, to remind, not to forget, not to let others forget, to come together once more. I greet you all with love, respect, hope and resistance."

Özel, who stated that 104 days have passed since March 19th, said, "It is the 100th day of the arrest of our Presidential Candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu. We are experiencing a process where the national will is attempted to be suffocated in courthouses and palace corridors, where ambushes are set up for the sovereignty of the people. Exactly 100 days ago today, a Presidential Candidate who 15.5 million people went to the ballot box and voted for was arrested on the day he became a candidate. Today is the 100th day. It is a disgrace. It is a disgrace to democracy, it is a disgrace to justice. This process is a disgrace in the political history of Turkey. We have been on the streets and in the squares since March 19th. As the youth say; we are not in the squares for rallies, but for action."

"We are exercising our right to resist a coup," said Özel, continuing his words as follows:

"Because in the history of this nation lies the history of resistance. There have always been oppressors in history, and there will be from now on. But there is also resistance. The winners have always been those who resist. Ekrem İmamoğlu has been standing tall in that cell with his pride and honor for 100 days. None of the slanders that have been thrown at him have stuck to him, and they do not. We have also been in the squares with our nation for 100 days. While those who put President Ekrem in prison cannot go out in public out of fear; we are together, we stand together, shoulder to shoulder, we look into each other's faces and eyes, we draw strength from each other. This nation does not look up to black people; it looks up to you, me, and President Ekrem. This nation does not stand by those who use the state for their own interests, but by those who fight for justice barefoot and with bare hands if necessary.

FALLEN FROM FAVOR

Dear friends, this government has fallen from the people's eyes and hearts 100 days ago. This government actually admitted that it lost 100 days ago. That is why today is also the 100th day of the victory of the people's will that has not yet manifested, even if it has not been declared. Those who have been governing this country for 100 days are no longer a legitimate government. This structure, consisting of a handful of people, represents a lost regime that tries to stay on its feet through oppression. The main thing in democracies is to respect the will of the people. What the people want comes to power, what they do not want goes. The people decided; the Justice and Development Party has been in power for 23 years. The people decided; Recep Tayyip Erdoğan became Prime Minister, President. The same people made a decision on March 31, 2024 and made the Republican People's Party, our party, the party of Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the first party of Türkiye on that day, just like the day it was founded. The AK Party, on the other hand, encountered defeat for the first time since the day it was founded. In my statement on election night, I said: 'There are no losers in this victory. Our success will not be anyone's defeat.

NEVER-ENDING ARROGANCE

What the government should have done that day was to compete with us in service. But instead of competing with us, they were afraid of competing with us, the respect we have shown for democracy, the respect we have shown for 47 years, the nation waited only 47 months until the day the presidential election calendar would start. Forget 47 months, they could not even respect the nation's decision for 47 days. They took a stand against the nation with a rising panic and an endless arrogance. They resorted to two methods to block our way. First, they tried to collapse our municipalities. They wanted to cut off the SSI and tax debts, the exorbitant debts, many of which were from their own term, with interest on top of interest, from our mayors all at once. And they did this to a large extent. In order for our mayors to be in a difficult economic situation and not be able to serve the nation, they gave instructions to their ministers on live broadcasts, looking them in the eye, saying, 'Shake them up a little'. But with the determination and perseverance of our mayors and the struggle of their talented teams, they could not disrupt the service. When they could not get any results from this, this time they started a judicial conspiracy. For this, they needed a useful tool like Zekeriya Öz. Investigations were launched against the opposition, politicians, journalists, mayors, and our brilliant bureaucrats, and unjust arrests were made.

From here, I say this by looking into the eyes of those who fill this hall, into the eyes of President Ekrem's esteemed wife, into the eyes of their families, and into the eyes of Türkiye: Ekrem İmamoğlu and our friends are innocent.