Kılıçdaroğlu warns judiciary: Oppression will come to you

ISTANBUL

DHA photo

Restrictions on freedom and oppressions that daily Cumhuriyet and many writers experience might soon be coming to the judiciary, main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said, appealing to judges and prosecutors to resist the pressure.

“It is my loud and clear call to the judiciary. The oppressive and freedom-restrictive practices which were in force for daily Cumhuriyet and many writers might be in force for the judiciary tomorrow. For that reason, everybody should conserve their sensitivity about democracy and freedom,” Kılıçdaroğlu said Nov. 10 during a visit to daily Cumhuriyet, nine of whose journalists and executives were arrested in a terror investigation targeting the newspaper.
 
Talking to reporters during his visit, Kılıçdaroğlu said that currently 142 journalists were under arrest in Turkey, a number which is the highest in the world. The CHP leader underlined the importance of freedom of the press for every segment of society, including the judiciary. He argued that along with the urgent pressure on the press, the judiciary is also under pressure.
 
“The judiciary should pave the way for Turkey. The judiciary should resist the pressure. Even in the Sept. 12 [1980 coup d’état] and March 12 [1971 military memorandum] the judges were independent. They were more loyal to the supremacy of law. We would like to see the same picture. They should resist the oppression, listen to their conscience, look for the supremacy of law, look for the assurance the constitution grants them, and make their decision within the democratic rule and international conventions by believing in the supremacy of law,” he said.