The 60-year-old former prime minister earlier this week pointed the finger to Turkish politicians over a series of attacks that rocked the country in 2015, stating that investigations into the attacks would implicate a number of political figures.
''If the terror related cases are investigated, many people will not be able to go out to face the public. Those who criticise us now cannot go into the public. I am telling you this frankly. Do you know why? When Turkish history is written in the future, the period between June 7 and November 1 will be one of the most critical times,'' Davutoglu said on Friday, referring to the events in 2015, when he was serving as prime minister.
The June 7, 2015 parliamentary elections were historic for Turkey. Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), led by then prime minister Davutoglu, lost the majority in the polls, while the predominantly Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) passed the electoral threshold, winning 80 seats in parliament.
Davutoglu began coalition negotiations with the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), while Turkey’s peace process that started in 2009 to solve the country’s more-than three decade long Kurdish conflict ended when a group allegedly linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) carried out an attack killing two policemen in July 2015. The PKK later denied the involvement with the police killing and all suspects arrested in relation to the incident were released after trials.
On July 20, 2015, a massive explosion in Turkey’s southeastern town of Suruc during a meeting of a mainly Kurdish youth group killed 33 people and wounded dozens more, mostly university students planning to help rebuild neighbouring Kobane in Syria. The explosion marked the beginning of a series of attacks by the Islamic State (IS) inside Turkey.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Aug. 24, 2015 called for snap elections to take place on Nov. 1, saying that efforts to form a coalition had failed. Davutoglu headed an interim AKP government until the November polls.
Meanwhile, the Turkish military launched operations in Turkey’s mainly Kurdish southeast provinces against what it said was the urban organisational structure of the PKK.
Turkey witnessed the deadliest bombing in its history on Oct. 10, weeks before the November parliamentary elections. Two IS suicide bombers blew themselves up in the midst of a crowd made up largely of leftists and Kurdish sympathisers that had gathered for a peace march in Ankara, killing 109 civilians and wounding some 500.
After months of political uncertainty and terrorist attacks, the AKP regained control of parliament on Nov. 1, 2015.
Davutoglu, who was sidelined by Erdogan in 2016 and resigned from office, has been reportedly working to establish a new Islamist political party to rival the ruling AKP.
Following his statements on Friday, a name close to Davutoglu known for controversial social media posts, Taha Un, took to Twitter on Saturday to share excerpts from the controversial speech by the former prime minister, in which he points the finger to Erdoğan ally MHP leader Devlet Bahceli and members of the ruling AKP.
Davutoglu was referring to the “person who evaded a coalition despite the AKP’s insistent and sincere efforts and who saw no problem in leaving Turkey without a government for the sake of a few votes during the height of the war on terror,’’ MHP leader Bahceli, Ün wrote.
“The other segment that would not be able to face the public’’ if the truth were to come out about the terror attacks of 2015 are those who “stabbed Davutoğlu in the back’’ during the Sept. 12, 2015 party congress, Un said.
Davutoglu in the video blasted those who “were scheming for general assembly meetings'' behind his back while he visited cities stuck by terror attacks, referring to members of the ruling AKP.
Many social media users in Turkey had asked Davutoglu to clarify the events in 2015, sending mentions to the former prime minister.
“Davutoglu should explain whatever he knows immediately. Otherwise his words will remain an effort for political gain. Moreover, hiding the truth is a crime. Between June 7 and November 1 bombs exploded, people died, we became a society of fear. We have not forgotten,” said Faruk Bildirici, a respected veteran journalist and a member of Turkey’s media watchdog RTUK, on Twitter.
Mehmet Bekaroglu, a CHP lawmaker, also called on Davutoglu to reveal the facts. “Come on, do this good deed for this country,” he said to the former prime minister on Twitter.
“The period between June 7 and November 1 was a period when terrorism was used as a method of election propaganda,” said Ali Seker, another CHP lawmaker. “Davutoglu, prime minister at the time, says those who created a climate of terror at that time, during which our terror-related inquiries were rejected and terrorist massacres happened blatantly, are still among us.”
“What happened Mr. Davutoglu? Who did what? Why can’t they face the public? Let’s not wait for history to write it. You tell us,” said Umit Ozdag, a lawmaker from the nationalist Good (İYİ) Party.
Fatma Kurtulan, the deputy head of the HDP’s parliamentary group, on Saturday submitted a proposal for a parliamentary inquiry into Davutoglu’s statements, pro-Kurdish Mezopotamya News Agency reported.
Suruc Aileleri, an initiative established by the relatives of Suruc bombing victims, also said that Davutoglu should give an account of the events of 2015.
“For what reason did we die and become wounded?,” the initiative asked to the former prime minister on its Twitter account.
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