DEM Party launches campaign for budget reform and press freedom in Turkey

The Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) has launched the ‘Budget for Bread, Peace, and Justice’ campaign to advocate for economic reforms. Co-Chairs Tuncer Bakırhan and Tülay Hatimoğulları stated that the national budget should prioritize the needs of workers, farmers, retirees, and youth rather than wealthy interest groups. Hatimoğulları highlighted that millions of people in Turkey live below the poverty line and criticized the increase in military spending, calling for more resources to be allocated to health, education, and social welfare.

In conjunction with press freedom protests held across ten provinces, DEM Party leaders also addressed media censorship. Hatimoğulları condemned the increasing pressure on journalists, including arrests and the appointment of trustees, arguing that a democracy cannot exist without a free press.

Separately, former Speaker of the Grand National Assembly Bülent Arınç issued a statement supporting press freedom. Arınç emphasized that society requires honest reporting from journalists of all political persuasions and argued that restricting the public's right to receive information is unacceptable.