Ministry Report on Attack Against Kılıçdaroğlu: CHP Distorted Incidents, Aggrieved Villagers

* Photo: Anadolu Agency

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The Ministry of Interior has released a report on the attempted lynch against main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu at the funeral of a soldier in Çubuk, Ankara on April 21, 2019.

Attending the funeral of Yener Kırıkçı, a soldier who lost his life during the military operations in Turkey-Iraq border in Hakkari, Kılıçdaroğlu was attacked by a group of people who also attended the funeral. Preparing a report on this attack in early September, the CHP argued that the lynch against Kılıçdaroğlu was planned beforehand.

The Ministry of Interior has released a counter report against the one prepared by the CHP and alleged that the report attempted to depict the incident differently from the reality out of political considerations.

'Attack could not be prevented despite all efforts'

The 53-page report entitled "Facts About Allegations in CHP's Çubuk Report" has indicated that CHP Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu attended the funeral of the soldier "at the last minute without informing anyone and immediately got back to his vehicle after the funeral ceremony ended."

Claiming that civilian authorities and security personnel responsible for the security of the area could not do a timely risk assessment and force planning for that reason, the report has indicated that "the physical assault against Kılıçdaroğlu could not be prevented despite all efforts of security forces as a result of the protest and accompanying stampede."

"The incidents were ended before they got any worse thanks to the efforts of security forces as well as the state officials and politicians attending the ceremony", the report of the ministry has added.

'No signs indicating a pre-planned provocation'

While the report has indicated that the politicians who attended the funeral helped Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu leave the area in question, it has also made the following remarks about the allegation that the attempted lynch against Kılıçdaroğlu was a pre-planned provocation:

"The works of the intelligence units have detected no signs that would be a basis for the allegation that the incident was a pre-planned provocation."

'People aggrieved by the CHP report...'

The report of the Ministry of Interior has further claimed that the CHP has distorted the incidents and attempted to make several citizens and officials look like the members of a criminal organization:

"In the report of the CHP, which is not based on any concrete evidence, serious accusations are levelled at all related institutions and public officials of the state and incidents are distorted by making up a new scenario and, thereby, attempting to make several citizens and public officials look like the members of a criminal organization.

"As this report has explained in detail, some statements in the CHP report are so far away from a sense of law and justice that they could constitute a crime and they are so away from moral values that they accuse the people of Akkuzulu village, most of whom did not have anything to do with the incidents, especially the relatives of our martyr, of an organized crime.

"This study has been conducted as it was deemed necessary to inform our nation when necessary, to be the voice of those aggrieved by the CHP report and to give the CHP the opportunity to make the necessary changes on its report." (HA/SD)