Turkey’s handing over the Khashoggi case to Saudi Arabia is a ‘disgrace’

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Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu spoke at the CHP weekly group meeting yesterday (April 12).

The main issues on his agenda were the economic crisis, the Justice and Development Party's (AKP) economic policies and the decision to hand over the trial over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Kılıçdaroğlu recalled that the electricity of nearly 3.5 million households and workplaces has been cut while 1.9 million people also cannot use natural gas for the same reason. He raised concerns about price hikes.

Noting that he deliberately does not pay his electricity bills, he said: "We have a historical responsibility. We have to pull Turkey out of here."

Referring to unemployment as well, Kılıçadaroğlu talked about the official statistics shared by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) and said: "They give an instruction, telling them to say that 'unemployment is down.' Tell it to the marines... What drop are you talking about?"

Addressing the ruling party, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said, "According to them, there are jobs in Turkey, but some people do not work because they do not like these jobs. This is what they tell people. They want to deceive people, they want to mislead people. But this is not the truth."

Criticism for Jamal Khashoggi case

Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu also talked about the decision of Turkey to hand over the trial over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside Saudi Arabia's Consulate General in İstanbul in 2018 to the country:

"One of the 3 institutions exercising the right of sovereignty of the State of the Republic of Turkey is the judiciary. It says, 'In the name of the Turkish nation' and gives judgments. You hand over a murder committed in Turkey, the prestige of a court that should give a judgment in the name of the Turkish nation, the prestige of the nation and your sovereignty right to Saudi Arabia.

"There has never been such a disgrace in the history of the Republic of Turkey. For what? For money. Money is at stake. [Nationalist Movement Party / MHP Chair Devlet] Bahçeli will say 'yes' to this. What kind of nationalism is that? We have been unable to understand it."

To Bahçeli: 'I am sorry for the MHP'

Kılıçdaroğlu further criticized Devlet Bahçeli, who had said in his weekly group meeting earlier in the day, "Price hikes, high cost of living... They are all temporary. Pessimism is forbidden to Muslims."

Kılıçdaroğlu said, "He gives a fatwa to the Islamic world. In fact, they would practically say, 'Not voting for us is forbidden by Islam.' I am sorry for the Nationalist Movement Party. It is a long-established party. It should not have found itself in such a position." (HA/SD)