Republished
from International
Communist Press.
Members
of the Communist Party, Turkey released a public statement to inform
on themselves for challenging Erdoğan's numerous libel lawsuits.
ICP,
23rd March 2016.
50
members of the Communist Party, Turkey (KP) released a statement
saying "The
facts are stronger than Erdoğan"
as an opposition to President Erdoğan's numerous lawsuits on libel
against many people all over Turkey.
KP
members introduced a decleration titled "WE WILL KEEP
CALLING THE THIEF “A THIEF” AND THE MURDERER “A MURDERER” and
said "...with
the attached declaration, we are informing on ourselves as a group of
party members, including the party leaders. We are calling on our
people and friends to sign this declaration..."
The full text of the
statement and the declaration are as follows:
"THE
FACTS ARE STRONGER THAN ERDOĞAN
We
reject the libel suits filed by President Erdoğan.
We
are a political party; it is our principle and goal to defend the
facts, to stand up against injustice and to build an egalitarian and
free society.
With
regard to these principles and goals, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
represents the mentality we are struggling with. The fact that he is
the president neither changes our ideas of him nor prevents us from
expressing them publicly.
We
are not insulting him; we are just telling the truth.
Our
party members, like many other people in Turkey, are constantly being
sued for defaming the president.
We
will not keep silent about that.
With
the attached declaration, we are informing on ourselves as a group of
party members, including the party leaders. We are calling on our
people and friends to sign this declaration.
The
facts are stronger than Erdogan.
Communist
Party, Turkey (KP), Central
Committee.
WE
WILL KEEP CALLING THE THIEF “A THIEF” AND THE MURDERER “A
MURDERER”.
Turkey
is being governed by a leader who keeps displaying the same attitudes
and behaviors as the president, as he did as the prime minister and
the president of the ruling party; who repudiates the
constitution and law; who assaults the people so that the reign of
money and religion over politics proceeds; who feeds on political
crisis and violence; and who has accumulated a great wealth.
He
filed or had some to file, almost two thousand libel suits for being
called “a thief and a murderer”, a “dictator” and a
“reactionist”; for being depicted with a Hitler mustache; for
being asked for “the source of his wealth”.
He
keeps filing lawsuits for being defamed although he recklessly
assaults the people, wisdom and science, and any opposition.
Exploitation,
plunder and pillage, and abuses of rights and freedom are rampant in
Turkey which is under his rule.
Turkey
is a land of inequality, injustice and prohibitions which is under
his rule.
Bigots
assail wisdom and science, children and women in Turkey,which is
under his rule.
Workers,
women and the youth are massacred; the people are oppressed and
subjected to violence in Turkey which is under his rule.
Bombs
claim lives in Turkey which is under his rule.
War
crimes and crimes against humanity proceed in Turkey which is under
his rule.
We,
the signatories of this declaration, couldn't keep quiet just because
he is filing libel suits against those stating the facts.
We
will exercise our rights of political criticism, freedom of thought
and speech and we will express the facts.
We
will keep calling them their own names: “thief”, “murderer”,
“dictator”, “bigot” and “gangster”."
