AK Party official Çam says Gülenists abuse complaint mechanisms on unfair treatment
The president of the Women's Branch of Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Lütfiye Selva Çam said members of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) are persuading innocent family members including their own mothers, fathers and siblings, to file complaints of victimization and appeal to the authorities, in efforts to evade persecution and possible legal repercussions. Providing an example of the alleged fake victimization of Gülenists, Çam's remarks published on Wednesday revealed that even the father of the pilot who was responsible for bombing Parliament several times during the coup attempt on July 15 has met with the chairperson of the AK Party's Keçiören district branch, making claims about his son's innocence.
Responding to the allegations of victimization, Çam said, "They [FETÖ members] are not the victims. The people of Turkey, who were on the streets on the night of the coup, resisting the putschists are, in fact, the real victims. These people [FETÖ members] did not get to their previous positions and [higher] ranks through hard work; on the contrary, they stepped on others and victimized the people. They cannot save themselves [by making] false claims that they were victimized."
Moreover, Çam said, some of the victimization claims filed with the AK Party's provincial and district organizations are peculiar, stating: "There is a particular [claim] that Keçiören District Chairman Zafer Çoktan informed me about. The father of a pilot who bombed Parliament several times on July 15 claims that his son visited him two or three days after the coup attempt. The father claimed that his son was a good person and was provided with coordinates to bomb. The pilot's father also alleged that his son had recently moved into Ankara and did not know where he was dropping the bombs. Listening to the father, our chairman responded to him by saying that his claims were absurd and he should visit the cemeteries of the martyrs if he wanted to see who the real victims were," said Çam.
Underlining that they have warned all offices of the AK Party Women's Branch about the possible filing of false victimization claims especially by the relatives of FETÖ members as these people may try to alter public perception, the AK Party official noted that they have also instructed their provincial and district organizations to only accept written victimization claims to avoid baseless allegations. Çam went on to urge anyone who feels that they have been victimized to apply to the Presidency, the Prime Ministry, other ministries or at the nearest AK Party office.
On another note, Çam stated that they will be organizing a workshop in December which will provide information about the July 15 coup attempt and countermeasures in the fight against FETÖ. "We will collect suggested resolutions for the matter and provide these to our ministries. Later, we will transform these resolutions into action plans," Çam said.
Responding to the allegations of victimization, Çam said, "They [FETÖ members] are not the victims. The people of Turkey, who were on the streets on the night of the coup, resisting the putschists are, in fact, the real victims. These people [FETÖ members] did not get to their previous positions and [higher] ranks through hard work; on the contrary, they stepped on others and victimized the people. They cannot save themselves [by making] false claims that they were victimized."
Moreover, Çam said, some of the victimization claims filed with the AK Party's provincial and district organizations are peculiar, stating: "There is a particular [claim] that Keçiören District Chairman Zafer Çoktan informed me about. The father of a pilot who bombed Parliament several times on July 15 claims that his son visited him two or three days after the coup attempt. The father claimed that his son was a good person and was provided with coordinates to bomb. The pilot's father also alleged that his son had recently moved into Ankara and did not know where he was dropping the bombs. Listening to the father, our chairman responded to him by saying that his claims were absurd and he should visit the cemeteries of the martyrs if he wanted to see who the real victims were," said Çam.
Underlining that they have warned all offices of the AK Party Women's Branch about the possible filing of false victimization claims especially by the relatives of FETÖ members as these people may try to alter public perception, the AK Party official noted that they have also instructed their provincial and district organizations to only accept written victimization claims to avoid baseless allegations. Çam went on to urge anyone who feels that they have been victimized to apply to the Presidency, the Prime Ministry, other ministries or at the nearest AK Party office.
On another note, Çam stated that they will be organizing a workshop in December which will provide information about the July 15 coup attempt and countermeasures in the fight against FETÖ. "We will collect suggested resolutions for the matter and provide these to our ministries. Later, we will transform these resolutions into action plans," Çam said.