Babacan says his rally banned by 'altering document after signature'

Photo: DEVA Party/file

The Democracy and Progress (DEVA) Party has announced that its planned rally in Antep, southeast Turkey, will not take place due to a ban imposed by the governor.

Ali Babacan, a former deputy PM and the leader of the DEVA Party, said the governor had initially permitted the rally but later changed his mind due to pressure from the government.

"We made a request to hold our rally on Democracy Square in Gaziantep. On April 29, the governor wrote down that it was 'appropriate' ... On May 2, they added 'not' to 'appropriate'," Babacan said at a press conference today (May 11). The party shared photos showing alterations in the document on its Twitter account.

Ali Babacan: “Gaziantep’teki mitingimizi, Demokrasi Meydanı’nda yapmak için Valilik’ten talepte bulunuyoruz.

29 Nisan’da Vali ‘Uygun’ notunu düşüyor.

Arkadaşlar Antep’e duyuruyor. Ses getiriyor.

2 Mayıs’ta ‘Uygun’un yanına ‘değil’ eklemişler.

Kimden ne telefon aldınız?” pic.twitter.com/zV9ehGghyp

— DEVA Partisi (@devapartisi) May 11, 2022

Babacan implied that the decision was reversed due to political pressure, asking the governor, "Who called you?"

Addressing the president, he said, "Don't bother uselessly putting pressure on governors. I am here. Say what you say to my face."

Formerly a senior figure of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), Babacan founded the DEVA Party in March 2020, months after resigning from the AKP.

DEVA is one of the six opposition parties that have been holding round-table meetings since late February. (VK)