All-out siege effort

The government , which has mobilized all its power to build a reactionary regime without opposition and ballot boxes, continues its operations against the opposition with the stick of the judiciary at full speed on the one hand, and on the other hand, it is putting the country under a siege of reactionism.

The country wakes up every day with news of an operation . The regime, which wants to intimidate and neutralize the opposition, tries to accustom the society to the operations by making them routine.

On the other hand, the government, which has pruned the progressive values ​​of the Republic one by one, swept away even the crumbs of secularism, destroyed scientific and secular education in schools with the Maarif model and ÇEDES, and even opened up mixed education to discussion, is trying to strangle social life with the help of religious orders and communities.

The provocation created by those who attacked Leman magazine by targeting reactionary groups using the cartoon it published as an excuse, and who threatened people with death by chanting sharia slogans on Istiklal Avenue, became the clearest photograph of a regime that relies on the stick of oppression and justice on one side, and the attacks of sects, religious communities and reactionaries on the other.

The AKP -MHP government, which condemns the people to hunger and poverty, is trying to intimidate the whole society with reactionary structures while showing the stick to the CHP and the social opposition and the carrot to the Kurdish movement through the resolution process in order to extend the life of the regime. The events of the last 48 hours were clues to the new order that the Palace wants to establish.

109 DETENTIONS IN IZMIR

In the “corruption and irregularities” investigation conducted by the Izmir Public Prosecutor’s Office against the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, 157 people were detained . 109 people were detained in the operation that started at 05:00 yesterday morning.

Among those detained were former Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Tunç Soyer, CHP Izmir Provincial Chairman Şenol Aslanoğlu, former İZBETON executives and some contractors. 48 people are still wanted.

According to the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office sources, the file includes Court of Accounts findings, inspector and expert reports. The main charges are "organized embezzlement, bid rigging and bribery." The transfer of the detained individuals to court is expected to begin today.

WE ARE NOT THE COMPLAINERS

Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Cemil Tugay made a statement regarding the claims that the operation was launched upon the “complaint of the current mayor.” Tugay said, “Neither I nor the municipality have filed any criminal complaints. The investigation is based on the reports of experts appointed by the prosecutor’s office.”

REACTION FROM CHP

Following the detentions, CHP executives made a statement in front of the Yeşilyurt Police Department. CHP Party Spokesperson Deniz Yücel said, “If Tunç Soyer, Şenol Aslanoğlu and other names had been called to testify, they would have come. Their detention early in the morning is a political choice. We do not accept the criminalization of a project that was carried out so that our low-income citizens could obtain housing.”

CHP Deputy Chairman and İzmir MP Murat Bakan also drew attention to the fact that the process was political. The Minister said, “Everyone was detained to increase the number. The President said a few days ago that ‘other provinces are also in a disaster situation’, and then this operation came. We do not believe that this process developed without the knowledge of the top management.”

The Izmir Bar Association also criticized the operation in a written statement. The statement included the following statements: “Individuals whose place of residence and occupation are known were detained early in the morning. This is an attempt to criminalize the municipality and ignore the presumption of innocence. We are against the inquisition climate where lost elections are tried to be undone by the judiciary. Democracy and the rule of law will prevail against these efforts. Those detained should be released immediately.”

On the other hand, the Cooperative Victims Union, which gathered in front of the police building, supported the operation. Speaking on behalf of the community, Gaziemir Construction Cooperative President Ali Alpyavuz said, “This is not an individual showdown; it is a threshold where the state says stop to the plunder of the hopes and sweat of the people of Izmir.”

IT'S IZMIR'S TURN

The wave of operations that started in CHP municipalities in Istanbul has spread to Izmir. Finally, in early June, 11 CHP mayors in Istanbul were arrested as part of a corruption investigation. The operation in Izmir came immediately after this development. The opposition, recalling President Erdoğan’s words that “other provinces are also in a disaster situation,” claimed that the operation was “political planning.”

It is stated that the CHP Headquarters has set up a crisis desk regarding the operation and will start a public campaign to show that “local governments are under siege by judicial pressure” according to the judicial process that will come from Izmir. According to insider information, the CHP evaluated the conclusion of these files before the Parliament goes into recess as a “post-election revenge”.

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GÜRLEK CASE AGAINST BİRGÜN:

An indictment was prepared against BirGün executives who were detained at around 23:00 on February 8, 2025 due to a news story mentioning Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akın Gürlek. The first hearing of the case, which calls for up to 5 years in prison, was held the day before. The court decided to postpone the case until the opinion on the merits is prepared. The hearing was postponed to September 22. On the other hand, the travel ban on Uğur Koç and Yaşar Gökdemir was not lifted. BirGün Board of Directors Chairman İbrahim Aydın stated that no one was targeted in the news and said, "It is not right for us to be tried with such an accusation. We did not target anyone. We reported the news made by Sabah newspaper, this is not a crime. Our friends did not commit a crime."

CONGRESS CASE:

In the case heard the previous day at the Ankara 42nd Civil Court of First Instance regarding the cancellation of the CHP's 38th Ordinary Congress, it was ruled that the Ankara 26th Criminal Court of First Instance's decision of lack of jurisdiction should be awaited until it becomes final.

Yesterday, the decision of lack of jurisdiction given by the Ankara 26th Criminal Court of First Instance was lifted. According to the statement made by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, a lawsuit was filed against some suspects for violating Article 112 of the Political Parties Law within the scope of the investigation conducted regarding the CHP's 38th Ordinary Congress at the Ankara 26th Criminal Court of First Instance. Following the court's decision of lack of jurisdiction regarding the case, the file was sent to the Ankara 3rd High Criminal Court upon objection.

BAHÇELİ'S EXIT:

MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli, regarding the CHP convention case postponed to September 8, said, "It is a democratic opportunity for the CHP to reach September 9, a historic day, one day after September 8, as a whole." Bahçeli, who also targeted CHP Chairman Özgür Özel, said, "It is a shameful lack of principle and reputation for a politician who gives his opinion according to the pulse of foreigners to discuss his country and nation, and even to engage in a competition to disparage them." Targeting the opposition in his statement, Bahçeli said, "It is obvious that the opposition, which is experiencing a solar eclipse, is subject to a severe destruction in terms of political morality and conscience. It is a vain desire for those who are at the center of dubious relations, under the clouds of suspicion, under the yoke of anxious whispers, to show perfect political character and moral stance." He said, "The emergence of every crooked and illegitimate case, from the corruption flood that has surrounded municipalities to the shadowing of party congresses, is first and foremost a great insult to our nation."