Kılıçdaroğlu slams MHP leader over silence on ex-Grey Wolves leader's assassination

Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP) spared an important part of his weekly parliamentary group meeting speech to the killing of Sinan Ateş in Ankara last Friday. Condemning the act of violence, Kılıçdaroğlu also slammed Devlet Bahçeli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), who kept silent on the murder.

Kılıçdaroğlu said, "An assassination took place in the capital of this country. Sinan Ateş. They killed a young father. One of the most valued names in the idealist movement (referring to the ideology of Turkish nationalists in Türkiye). He was an academician, an idealist, a believer, an Ataturkist. He had two daughters and he had a precious wife.

"They killed him in the middle of Ankara. We keep silent with patience since his family requested that the event should not be politicized. I have talked to his father and his wife. With patience, we are waiting for the result. Information is flooding us as well, we know many things. We are aware of how far this event fails the smell test. We are keeping silent now so that those responsible can do their jobs.

"Not one word from the palace"

"There is not one word from the palace. The spare wheel of the palace is not speaking a word either, as if one of his most valued sons has not been killed. They cannot overlook this murder. As CHP, we will not allow that to happen. If Mr. Kemal sets his mind on something, definitely he will solve it."

Devlet Bahçeli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party also made his weekly parliamentary group speech today, before Kılıçdaroğu.

However, he did not say anything directly about the murder.

"Nobleness of our silence"

The part of his speech that was interpreted as related to Friday's murder was this part:

"But no one should misinterpret our patience. Nobody should take courage from the nobleness of our silence.

"The circles whose ill-will we know, whose crippled relations we are aware of and we follow cannot match wits with us, their impudence trying to give us directions, their sneakiness trying to open the new century of the Republic to a discussion will give no results. (...)

"We will not forgive those who pester the political honor and dignity of MHP.

Devlet Bahçeli in a photograph with Sinan Ateş shot dead in Ankara last Friday

What happened?

Sinan Ateş, the ex-president of Grey Wolves, a far-right paramilitary organization and political movement affiliated with the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), was killed in Ankara on Friday (December 30).

Ateş and his friend Selman Bozkurt were leaving the apartment building where Ateş's office is when two men on motorcycles fired shots at them.

Ateş was seriously injured by a bullet to the head, while Bozkurt was wounded in the shoulder. Transported to a hospital, Ateş was pronounced dead after arrival.

Thousands attended the funeral in Bursa, Great Mosque on Saturday, including Bursa Mayor Alinur Aktaş, İYİ (Good) Party group deputy chairperson Müsavat Dervişoğlu, İYİ Party Bursa chairperson Selçuk Türkoğlu, and Justice and Development Party (AKP) MP Refik Özen.

MHP did not express condolence and no officials from the party attended the funeral.

The investigation into the murder is continuing and eight people have been detained so far.

(PE)