At the weekly press conference of her party in Ankara, Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) spokeswoman Ebru Günay shared her assessments of the recent debates in Turkey sparked by Turkish mafia boss Sedat Peker's revealing videos on YouTube. In the videos, which have been followed by millions of people in Turkey, Peker reveals close ties between the state and the mafia.

Günay recalled the history of coups in Turkey, saying, "Each coup in Turkey has dragged our society into darkness and led to more poverty, corruption and lawlessness. The eradication of democratic politics brought along strengthened networks of the mafia. The coup mentality of Sept. 12, 1980, and Feb. 28, 1997, is unfortunately still at work today."

The same problems exist in Turkey today, the HDP spokeswoman continued: "There is no functioning legal system, there are constant attacks on democratic politics. Politicians are imprisoned, trustees are placed in the posts of the elected, women and students who demand their rights are tortured, civil society and trade unions are suppressed. The mafia is almost an ally of the government, it almost a partner of the government. If this is not a coup, what is it?"

Günay stressed that imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan had issued strong warnings against such a coup mechanism from 2012 to 2015, when Turkey's peace process was still underway. She continued:

"Öcalan had warned that the coup mechanism and chaos in Turkey would be deepened if a democratic solution to the Kurdish question was not reached. This chaotic atmosphere, where there is the mafia on one side and the state on the other, is a product of this impasse. It is a product of this mechanism."

The coup, however, is not directed against political power, but against civil society and the opposition, Günay said: "The government actually stages a coup every day, which is against the will of society. It also threatens the opposition by saying: ‘These are your best days, it will get worse.' That is the real coup. The only way to get rid of this mentality is democratization. A democratic and united struggle is an absolute necessity. Otherwise, the sinister mafia structures will continue to spread throughout the country."

Günay described Sedat Peker's claims as a "confession," saying, "We have already known that the ruling coalition is up to its neck in crime with the army, Ergenekon and paramilitary structures. With today's confessions, the whole society is witnessing this truth."

Günay called on the democratic public in Turkey and all those who are disturbed by the mafia-state relations to question how such "decadence" could occur. There are many reasons for this, she said, but the most important is hostility toward the Kurds. "If the peace process had not fallen victim to the political machinations of the government, our society would not be discussing gangsterism, but we would have reached a democratic level," HDP spokeswoman added.