İSTANBUL - Cemal Yıldırım, Muhammet Semih Karaoğlu who were dismissed with law decrees during the state of emergency and Resul Kalyoncu who is accompanying them in solidarity, started a march to Ankara from İstanbul despite all efforts to prevent them. 

 

Cemal Yıldırım, Muhammet Semih Karaoğlu who were dismissed with law decrees during the state of emergency and Resul Kalyoncu who is accompanying them in solidarity, made a press statement in front of the Beşiktaş Pier in Kadıköy. The members of the All Decree Platform Union, Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) MPs Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu and Musa Piroğlu, as well as a big crown supported the marchers. 

 

Making a statement, Cemal Yıldırım told that they were demanding justice for four years, said their dismissals are not about just about losing one's job. Yıldırım said: "It was us being subjected to genocide with our families. Our most natural human right, our right to exercise our citizenship have been violated. We were sent to exile. It is 538 people dying different deaths. All our pursuits for justice are prohibited. Even today, we are prevented from walking in this area. But we will not surrender."

 

'FIGHTING TOGETHER AGAINST THE FASCIST SYSTEM'

 

Resul Kalyoncu who marches with the two in solidarity said: "Nothing bad happened to me. But I decided to walk with them because what happens to our people, happens to us too. Peace will win at the end. If we raise our voices together, we can defeat fascism. We will continue our march against all efforts of prevention."

 

Muhammet Semih Karaoğlu said: "We decided to march against all the sexual assault cases we witness everyday, all the animals being tortured and killed, the environment being destroyed. I invite everyone to come together in a social contract. If we were able to come together here today, this is an indication that all citizens of the country can also unite."

 

GERGERLİOĞLU: WE ARE HERE TO RESIST

 

HDP MP Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu drew attention to the meaning and importance of the march and drew attention to the fact that the decrees have turned into genocide. Expressing the problems faced by the people who were dismissed with law decrees, such as them being banned from working in the private sector, or traveling abroad, Gergerlioğlu said: "We are here against the government usurping our rights. We are here to resist. We stand with these friends who are committed to this important march."

 

'THE DEMANDS OF EVERYONE MARGINALIZED BY THE GOVERNMENT'

 

Musa Piroğlu said: "This is the demand of those who lost their lives at the Evros River, at the Aegean Sea with their children, this is the demand of those who are driven to suicide.  This is the demand of death fasting lawyer Ebru Timtik who lost her life demanding fair trial. This is the demand of Aytaç Ünsal who laid his body to death. The demand of justice is the demand of all the people whose graves were destroyed, the demand of Kurdish mothers who recieve the body of their children in a plastic container sent to them via mail. The demand of justice is the demand of everyone marginalized by the government."

 

Following the statement, the trio got on a car due to the ban decision of the Kadıköy District Governorship and drove to Maltepe where they started their march to Ankara.