Turkey's opposition parties accuse AKP government of tapping
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Turkey's main opposition party CHP and the nationalist MHP raised their concerns over a tapping incident that local newspapers termed "Turkish Watergate". The opposition parties concerns were voiced after an Islamist newspaper published Tuesday, word-for-word, a conversation between CHP's number two person and a governor. The opposition leaders harshly criticized the government for "hurting democratic values". The CHP leader slammed the government and said the security forces tapped party offices, as the government vowed to investigate the claims. AKP Deputy Dengir Mir Mehmet Firat accused the CHP of casting aspersions over the ruling AKP, calling attention to the timing of the tapping claim as dark cloud over the AKP’s achievements, at a news conference in Ankara late on Wednesday. The prosecutor's office launched an investigation regarding the claims. (UPDATED)
The offices of the CHP's General Secretary Onder Sav and party leader Deniz Baykal were searched on Tuesday and no listening devices or "bugs" were found, newspapers reported. It said this sparked concerns that room tapping could be made from a vehicle parked in front of the CHP's headquarters, and reminded a similar situation occurred with the deputy chairman of the Constitutional Court Osman Paksut, who voiced his suspicions of being followed for months.Â
An organization within the state organs made the taps and then leaked it to Islamist newspapers, Sav was quoted as saying. "Those who claim that democracy is functioning with all of its rules are condemned to feel the shame of tapping the CHP's General Secretary. The government should make a satisfactory and convincing explanation to CHP," he said, adding Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and Interior Minister Besir Atalay should resign. Â
CHP leader Baykal said the event showed the security forces are tapping the working offices and in close cooperation with an Islamist newspaper. He added CHP will submit a censure motion asking parliament to investigate the incident.
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"The offices are tapped by security forces. The technological capabilities of the country are being used to create discomfort," Baykal said in a press conference on Wednesday. He also repeated his party's call for Erdogan and Atalay's resignation. Erdogan’s office has refused to comment on Wednesday on Baykal’s remarks. Atalay rejected Baykal's claims that the security forces had tapped the CHP offices but said this incident should be clarified. "I had asked the Governorship of Ankara to file a criminal complaint... Those responsible should be found and penalized. We will pursue this," he added in a news conference on Tuesday. Atalay also said he had asked the authorities to launch an investigation into the allegations.  Firat accused the CHP of casting aspersions over the ruling AKP, calling attention to the timing of the tapping claim calling it a dark cloud over the AKP’s achievements, referring in particular to the launch on Tuesday of Turkey's southeastern development project, GAP, at a news conference on Wednesday.
MHP'S SIMILAR CONCERNS
On the other hand the nationalist MHP also raised its concerns over being tapped. An official with the MHP Tuesday confirmed that they have similar concerns. "Wiretapping issues turned Bahceli has accused the ruling AKP of trying to "control constitutional and democratic rights by creating a dictatorship of fear". "The government is dragging