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Muteber Osmanpaşaoğlu, a member of the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Architects Ankara Branch, was dismissed while on sick leave, and her defense was not taken, according to the Ankara Branch of the Architects' Chamber. Two other executives of the branch had been dismissed from civil service before Osmanpaşaoğlu.
Tezcan Karakuş Candan, the President of the Chamber of Architects Ankara Branch, and Ali Atakan, the Deputy President of the branch, were previously dismissed from civil service. Muteber Osmanpaşaoğlu, with 43 years of professional experience, was dismissed from her position just 35 days before retirement.
The Chamber of Architects announced the situation in a press conference and expressed their outrage.
Speaking at the conference, Tezcan Karakuş Candan, President of the Chamber of Architects Ankara Branch, said, "The government has initiated a serious pressure process on the Chamber of Architects Ankara Branch and its executives," mentioning that first Ali Atakan, who worked at the İlbank, was dismissed from civil service, followed by her own dismissal.
Karakuş Candan stated, "Now, Muteber Osmanpaşaoğlu, a member of the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Architects Ankara Branch, who works in the architect department of the Ministry of National Education, has been unjustly dismissed from civil service just 35 days before her retirement. The reason is the annual press award given by our branch. We reject this unjust and illegal dismissal. Three executives of an organization are being unjustly dismissed from civil service. They are being deprived of their public rights simply for giving a press award. This is an indicator of what is to come."
"We are determined to continue our legal battle with the authority granted to us by the constitution and our regulations and through the law. We invite the public to use their constitutional rights for social opposition. We will multiply through solidarity, and we will not bow to repressive authorities. We will continue our legal struggle."
Turgut Kazan, the lawyer for the Chamber of Architects Ankara Branch and Muteber Osmanpaşaoğlu, also participated in the conference via phone and provided information. Kazan stated, "According to Article 129 of Law No. 657 on Civil Servants, the defense should be taken. In this context, we applied on August 23, showing the legal basis that both oral explanation and defense through a lawyer should be allowed. They ignored it completely and issued the dismissal decision. The authorities committed a crime. We will not tolerate blatant unlawfulness. Nevertheless, we will continue to pursue legal avenues."
Duygu Aslan, the daughter of Muteber Osmanpaşaoğlu, said, "My mother has been a socially conscious architect working for the state for as long as I can remember. She has been a civil servant for 43 years and has been the Treasurer Member of the Chamber of Architects Ankara Branch for 6 years," and stated that a policy of discrediting is being pursued.
(HA/PE)
