Istanbul, July 2 – The dismissal of the CHP Istanbul Provincial Women’s Branch Head Hatice Selli Dursun and Youth Branch Head Erdem Kara, and the subsequent appointments made by the court-appointed provincial management, have sparked strong reactions. Dursun and Kara, speaking in front of the CHP Istanbul Provincial Building, declared, “We do not recognize the usurpers, we do not recognize their decisions.”
“We Are Here, Together”
Selli stated that they are facing a tragicomic decision, highlighting the plight of a group whose sole aim is to serve a depleted government, occupying the party’s institutions. She criticized those who hide behind politicized court decisions, act as pawns in an unprecedented betrayal in the party’s 103-year history, and attempt to dictate terms to the party’s organization and women fighting for equality. Selli emphasized, “Neither the will of our organization, nor our determination to establish the people’s government, nor the women who demand equality in all areas of life and fight for it, will surrender to you. We are openly here, together.”
“No One Can Slander Our Efforts”
Selli asserted, “No one can slander our efforts.” She continued, “Istanbul is a witness. The millions of homes we knocked on are witnesses, the courthouses where we sought justice are witnesses, the streets and squares where we grew our struggle are witnesses. Here are our 39 district Women’s Branch heads, our provincial executives; our comrades in arms are here.”
“We Are People of Struggle, Not Positions”
Underlining that they derive their duties from hard work, effort, and strong unity, not from trustees and usurpers, Selli stressed that they are people of struggle, not positions. She elaborated:
“Our struggle is to be the voice of the woman rushing to work in the early morning, the mother calculating how to feed her family in the evening, the unseen laborer, the woman fighting for life against violence. Our politics is the politics of those who seek justice, demand equality, and never lose hope. We have never fought this battle for seats. We have never pursued it for titles.”
“We Do Not Recognize the Usurpers, We Do Not Recognize Their Decisions”
Selli declared, “We are women who believe in the ideal of equal citizenship of the Republic. We are the women pursuing that ideal. Let it be known that we did not step back yesterday; we will not step back tomorrow, nor today. We do not recognize the trustees who, in September 2025, attacked our party’s provincial building with 5000 police, crushed women under police boots, and suffocated them with tear gas; we do not recognize the usurpers who, last month, legitimized the entry into our general headquarters with gas bombs and plastic bullets. We do not recognize their decisions.”
“We Continue Our Journey to Establish the People’s Government”
Selli affirmed, “Under the leadership of our General Chairman Özgür Özel, and with our presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu, we continue our journey to establish the people’s government. With our Women’s Branch General Chairman Asu Kaya, we are where we were yesterday, and we are there today! And from now on, we will continue to walk with the women of Istanbul, to be their voice, and to grow their hope.”
She concluded, “And we know that in the end, the winners will be the women who own their will, organized solidarity, and justice. We will not bow to chair-loving trustees, nor to usurpers who are eager to trade the future of our beautiful country for their untimely ambitions. With solidarity, with unity; with millions of women who want an equal, free, and just future, we will surely win at the end of this path. Women will win, our beautiful country will win!”
“A Trustee Appointing a Youth Branch Head in Istanbul Has No Place in History”
Erdem Kara stated that they received the news of the appointment in the morning. He said, “On September 8, 2025, the trustee who entered the building behind us, our ancestral home, with 5000 police, beating youth and women; today, he supposedly appointed a youth and women’s branch head here. There is a truth that even those who pass by our party’s door know. Youth and Women’s Branches are completely independent structures. From districts to the general headquarters, they make appointments through their own congresses and conventions. So, just as there is no such thing as appointing a Youth Branch Head from the General Headquarters, a nullity, a trustee, hiding behind court decisions today, appointing a provincial youth branch head in Istanbul has no place in history and never will.”
“For Us, These Trustees Are No Different from the Shields, Plastic Bullets, and Tear Gas”
Kara emphasized that the relevant decision has no legal, material, or official validity. He continued:
“My friends and I have fought countless attacks since 2024. Those who could not stomach defeat sometimes put slanders before us. They put court decisions. They put water cannons. They put police. They put shields. They were not strong enough, so they put a collaborator trustee in our party. For us, these trustees are no different from the shields, plastic bullets, and tear gas put before us.”
“We Recognize Neither the Trustees Nor the Little Trustees They Appointed”
Kara added, “Whatever we feel when we look at them, we feel the same when we look at the trustee. Even if their appearances are different, the address they receive instructions from is the same. Therefore, these and their so-called decisions do not change our direction or our path. We recognize neither the trustees nor the little trustees they appointed. We ignore all of them. We are here and we are together. We all continue our duties from where we left off.”
“They Have Been Playing at Being Chairmen Here for Months”
Kara criticized the current situation, stating, “There is a trustee in this building who, like a fly, has settled in and won’t leave even when dismissed. They have been playing house here for months. They have been playing at being chairmen here for months. They embarrass themselves on social media every day. The trustee here is a person disliked even by those who bear the shame of the nullity around their neck. He is a person not accepted even among puppets like himself. That is why he performs 40 somersaults a day to get into the good graces of the nullity. That is why we only laugh at what comes out of his mouth.”
“We Will Not Allow Anyone to Erase This Story”
Kara concluded with a powerful message: “All of us received our duties from the youth of Istanbul. In 2024, at the congress where we took office, we set out in this very garden saying ‘Let’s Walk, Friends’. We etched our struggle into 39 districts, Çağlayan, Saraçhane, Silivri. We wrote a story that cannot be erased by a friend who wants to write ‘chairman’ in his biography, or by the decision of a self-proclaimed person. We will not allow anyone to erase this story. The identity and struggle of the Istanbul Youth organization are shaped by the youth of Istanbul. That youth is the Republican youth and Atatürk’s youth.”
“History Will Write About Both the Collaborators and Those Who Fought Against Them”
Kara ended his statement by saying, “Let those who wear light-bulb collars, those who beg for the seats they long for from the courts, continue to play at being chairmen. The youth of Istanbul is several sizes too big for you. Our goal is to bring the principles of the six arrows to power. We will continue to walk with this goal. At the end of this road, we will all reach democracy and absolute justice together. History will write about both the collaborators and those who fought against them.”
