AKP Mayor Draws Criticism After Comments on Public Figures

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Bursa Metropolitan Mayor Alinur Aktaş's comments on public figures Nazım Hikmet, Uğur Mumcu, Türkan Saylan and Bahriye Üçok have drawn criticism.

Aktaş, a member of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), talked of the four public figures as "Who waged war against the state and the flag, those who had a problem with the religion," in a speech he made for the local elections on March 31.

Nazım Hikmet (1902-1963) was a poet who died in Russia where he was on exile. Uğur Mumcu (1942-1993) was an investigative journalist who was assassinated by a bomb placed in his car. Türkan Saylan (1935-2009) was a medical doctor and a social activist. She was detained for terror-related charges in 2009, when she was suffering from breast cancer. Bahriye Üçok (1919-1990) was an academic and a rights defender who was assassinated by a mail bomb.

"A reckless attack against the culture of coexistence"

Erol Önderoğlu, Reporters Without Borders' (RSF) Turkey representative, said that they view Aktaş's words as "a reckless attack on the culture of coexistence."

Uğur Mumcu's children Özgür and Özge Mumcu, and his wife Güldal Mumcu reacted to Aktaş's words on Twitter. Özgür Mumcu said, "I wish that the people of Bursa will give the necessary answer at the polls to this miserable man who insults the killed and persecuted intellectuals to cover up his own dirty relationships."

Güldal Mumcu said, "The mentality that killed Uğur Mumcu is speaking."

"What did my father do to you?"

Özge Mumcu said, "We began the week with a mayor who spreads his hate 26 years after the killing of my father."

"What did Bahriye Üçok do to you? Or my father? Or Nazım Hikmet? Two of them were killed, one died far from his homeland, in the country he took refuge in. You put Türkan Saylan behind bars unjustly. What did this woman do to you?" she added.

The main opposition Republican People's Party's (CHP) Bursa Provincial Chair Hüseyin Akkuş claimed that Aktaş made that statements to prevent voters from giving their votes to the CHP's Nation Alliance.

Aktaş has been nominated by the AKP again for the Metropolitan Municipality of Bursa on March 31 local elections.

"Aktaş cannot be a mayoral candidate"

Association for the Support of Contemporary Living (ÇYDD), which was founded by Türkan Saylan, denounced Bursa Mayor Aktaş in a statement.

"We state that Alinur Aktaş's nomination for this local election is a dangerous game. A divisive, discriminative person who offends the society cannot be a mayoral candidate for such a distinguished city like Bursa. We demand the cancelation of Aktaş's nomination," said the ÇYDD.

The ÇYDD also stated that it filed a complaint against Aktaş upon Turkish Penal code.

Nazım Hikmet Cultural Center (NHKM) also made a statement on Twitter, saying, "The attack that pictures the essence of regressivism and its enmity towards the enlightenment in Turkey is not the first of its kind."

What happened?

Bursa Mayor Aktaş, in a speech he criticized his rival from the CHP, Mustafa Bozbey, said, "You have been the Mayor of Nilüfer (district) for 20 years. Did you name a street, a cultural center after a friend of Allah, a sultan, a great Turkish figure? You named places after Türkan Saylan, Uğur Mumcu, Nazım Hikmet, Bahriye Üçok, who waged war against the state and the flag and who had a problem with the religion."

Bozbey, in response to Aktaş, said that both the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Turkey are valuable to him.

Aktaş's comments draw sharp criticism on social media. (AÖ/VK)