* Photograph: Mehmet Ali Özcan / Ankara - AA
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Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Group Deputy Chair Özgür Özel has responded to Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair and President Erdoğan's statements targeting him and his party.
In a press conference he held, Özel has said, "The one man who rules the country is extremely disturbed by the parliament becoming the focus of interest and Republican People's Party's opposition despite his efforts to make the parliament dysfunctional, ignore and disregard the parliament and his aides and ministers whom he appointed for this cause."
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The CHP MP has said the following in the conference:
'He should know that we will not cringe'
"His ministers could not deal with us, his Vice President could not deal with us, he himself could not deal with us; now he is trying to silence us with his judges. He should know that we will not stop, we will not cringe, we will not fear, we will not take a step back.
"Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, know this: We will not take a step back. We do not fear you. We are not taking a step back because of your attitude.
'One man is the executive, legislation and judiciary'
"When this regime change was happening, we said that separation of powers will disappear and one man will determine the executive, the legislation, the judiciary.
"What happened yesterday is clear. The one man who did not like the statements of the artists gave order, the prosecutor took action. Hours after the statement of the one man, legal action was taken against the artists, they were hastily questioned.
"With international travel bans and judicial control, they tried to teach the artists their place. Now, they try to put his majesty's judiciary into action. We say 'We dare you'.
'Could Akar defend himself?'
"We say 'Bring it on'. Where is insult in what we said? If there is insult, then there is compensation. Whom did we insult? If there is crime, then there is punishment. Where is crime in what we said? If there is a crime, it is Hulusi Akar (Minister of National Defense) not being able to answer us is crime, what he said is crime.
"Why are you disturbed? We said, 'Hulusi Akar did not visit his friends'. He said 'I did' and showed witnesses. The witnesses he showed said 'His mission was in our prison. He came only there, did not go to other five prisons.'
"Could Hulusi Akar defend his own visits? But, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan tries to defend. He cannot get enough of cuddling with Nuri Pakdil, who calls Atatürk a pharaoh." (PT/VK)
