Following a 450-km march for justice, the Turkish opposition leader faces challenges in fostering unity to counter the ongoing purges an deterioration of democratic institutions. Diego Cupolo reports from Istanbul.
Twenty-five days and 450 kilometers after starting a march for justice in Turkey's capital city, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, head of the Republican People's Party (CHP), called for unity among the country's opposition groups at a rally attended by more than 1.5 million disenchanted Turks in Istanbul.
Kilicdaroglu spoke at the march's end point, near Maltepe prison where one of his party's deputies is being held after receiving a 25-year jail sentence for allegedly leaking photos showing Turkish intelligence was shipping weapons to Syria.
Though the ruling served as a catalyst for the march, which has since become the largest protest against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's post-coup purges, Kilicdaroglu told Oir Source it was only "the last drop in the bucket" and that he was protesting against the countless injustices perpetrated on Turkish citizens under the government's ongoing crackdown on perceived dissent.
CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu denounces human rights violations and ongoing purges during the Rally for Justice in Istanbul
The challenge now, Kilicdaroglu said, is to forge an alliance between Erdogan's opponents spanning religious, ethnical and political ideologies that have long divided Turkey's left. He does not expect the task to be easy, but after leading a march that drew up to 50,000 followers in its final days, Kilicdaroglu said it was his duty be the opposition's voice after this spring's constitutional referendum, which consolidated governmental powers under Erdogan's presidency amid allegations of voter fraud.
When asked if the possible suspension of EU accession talks could have an impact on the ruling Justice and Development Party's (AKP) policies, Kilicdaroglu told Our Source the "decision will tear Turkey from the civilized world." Yet, at the same time, he said responses to political oppression must come from within Turkey, and that outside pressure may prove counterproductive.
"It will not have an impact," Kilicdaroglu said during an interview inside his caravan in Gebze. "On the contrary, [the involvement of the international community] will increase polarization and this will benefit of Erdogan's party."
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