Demirtaş: Apologize to My Wife and the Public for This Statement

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Noting that his wife Başak Demirtaş would not be able to hold classes  due to illness at the school where she has been teaching, Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaş has apologised to his wife and the public for having to make such an announcement.

Demirtaş has added, that his wife had to through a period of treatment and a series of operations at home and abroad due to a complication occurred during her pregnancy, and that the process had been documented and confirmed by medical reports.

Noting that two inspectors from Ankara assigned by the Ministry of National Education had been conducting an administrative investigation, Demirtaş has added the following in his statement:

“I condemn this dark mentality which has immediately prompted elements of psychological war before even waiting for the results of the investigation.

“Of course, politicians are under supervision and inspection of the public and their families. In this regard, there exists nothing we can’t account for. But being exposed to this unfair attack by network of thieves who have cleaned the state out in public and covered it in cooperation is not a situation we can put up with.

“Even though I am making this statement on my wife’s approval, I apologize to my dear wife in particular and to the considerate and mindful public.

“I respectfully bring to the public attention, that all the releases against my wife are perversions and defamations”.

What had happened?

In its report with the headline “Demirtaş’s Wife is an ATM Officer”, Yeni Akit daily had used expressions such as “receives salary without even stopping by the school thanks to medical reports”. The newspaper has reported that the Ministry of National Education (MEB) has made a statement with regards to the matter and has noted that Başak Demirtaş has received sick report for 112 days in the school year of 2015-2016 and 774 days since 2004 in total.  

Following this statement, many newspapers and news websites had included Yeni Akit’s report and media corporations such as Akşam daily, Sabah Daily and A News had used expressions like “blood lobby”, “left our children who can’t go to school due to terror without a teacher”, “shocking truth about Demitraş’s wife” and “Başak Demirtaş, didn’t care for her school in Sur of Diyarbakır vandalized by the terrorist organization PKK”. (ÇT/DG)