With Bahçeli's backing, Turkish mafia boss slams envoys' call to release Kavala

Duvar English

Notorious mafia leader Alaattin Çakıcı, whose ties to the deep state and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) are known, has thrown his support behind MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli once again after the latter targeted philanthropist Osman Kavala during a speech.

In an open letter shared on his social media account, Çakıcı referred to Kavala as “a convict who violated the laws of the Turkish Republic” and reacted against ten foreign ambassadors' call for the philanthropist's immediate release.

“Who are they, the ambassadors of the U.S., Germany, France and some European countries, to demand release for that person in prison?” Çakıcı said.

Çakıcı argued that “international power groups and their collaborators in Turkey” were trying to “destroy People's Alliance, damage the MHP and overthrow the [Turkish] president,” referring to the alliance between the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and MHP. Çakıcı claimed that it was the “biggest goal of Europe, the U.S., superior mind and even Russians” to accomplish this.

On Oct. 18, ten foreign embassies in Turkey released a joint statement calling for the immediate release of Kavala, who has been jailed for four years without conviction. They said Turkey is obliged by international and domestic laws to ensure a “just and speedy resolution” to Kavala's case.

Previously, main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu had also said that the imprisonment of both Kavala and Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtaş was political, demanding their release.

On Oct. 19, Bahçeli targeted Kavala and Demirtaş in his speech during his party's parliamentary meeting, saying that they belonged in prison. “"Osman Kavala is a (George) Soros-ist. Demirtaş is a terrorist. As in all democratic countries where the law is above everything, the place of a terrorist is behind bars,” Bahçeli said.

Bahçeli also blasted Kılıçdaroğlu during his speech, saying: “Kılıçdaroğlu is the shadow of Demirtaş who has come down on the CHP. Kılıçdaroğlu, whose side are you on?”

As Bahçeli and Çakıcı are known to support each other, Çakıcı also did not refrain from targeting Kılıçdaroğlu once again, by making a reference to the opposition leader's concerns of political assassinations in the run-up to the next elections.

“I say to those traitors who brought up that there will be political murders in this country, let me be your first political murder. If there is just a bit of manhood, you would kill me, and I would be your first political murder,” Çakıcı said in his open letter.

“Mr. Devlet Bahçeli is my brother, and he is the leader of the party that I defend. He does not need me. I and my son would die on his path,” Çakıcı further said.

This is not the first time that Çakıcı has threatened Kılıçdaroğlu. Earlier in October, a court sentenced him to one year and eight months in prison over his threat letter from last year.