CHP Deputy Chairman and Party Spokesperson Deniz Yücel has criticized the AKP government’s rebranding of Yassı Ada as the “Island of Democracy and Freedoms,” stating that this gesture has not brought democracy or freedom to the country. Yücel emphasized that the first action taken on the island was zoning regulations, which led to the demolition of significant structures such as the courtroom where trials were held and the room where Adnan Menderes stayed. He underscored that the island has turned into a concrete jungle.
Recalling President Erdoğan’s statement that “the Constitution is at the top of the hierarchy of norms,” Yücel pointed out that even the current Constitution’s provisions are not being adhered to. He criticized Erdoğan’s attempts to use the memory of Adnan Menderes and his associates to give democracy lessons every May 27th, and called for the implementation of Constitutional Court rulings. Yücel also criticized the term “Century of Turkey Constitution,” insisting that the correct expression should be “Constitution of the Republic of Turkey.”
Yücel’s remarks were shared with the public through the official social media accounts of the Republican People’s Party (CHP).