2024-08-17 16:32:26
During a session of the Turkish National Assembly, fists fly. Several MPs are injured. The reason is a dispute over the detention of an elected MP.
In the Turkish parliament, members of the government and the opposition fought during a debate about an imprisoned human rights lawyer. A video published by the newspaper “Cumhuriyet” showed Alpay Özalan, a member of the Islamic-conservative ruling party AKP, slapping Ahmet Sik of the Turkish Workers’ Party Tip during a speech. Sik then fell to the ground, after which a violent brawl broke out in the parliament in Ankara.
At least two opposition MPs who tried to break up the scuffle were injured, according to the Habertürk broadcaster. Blood was seen on the floor of parliament afterwards, it was reported. The leader of the largest opposition party, CHP, Özgur Özel, described the incident as “extremely shameful”. Alpay Özalan is a former football player who played for 1. FC Köln for a time.
Parliament held an extraordinary session on the situation of Turkish human rights lawyer Can Atalay. In April 2022, Atalay was sentenced to 18 years in prison for aiding and abetting an attempted coup in connection with the anti-government Gezi protests of 2013. He was elected as a member of parliament in the parliamentary elections in May 2023. The Constitutional Court ordered Atalay’s release – but the Court of Cassation decided not to implement this.
The verdict against Atalay in the so-called Gezi trial is considered politically motivated and was ruled unlawful by the European Court of Human Rights. The Gezi protests of 2013 were also specifically directed against the then Prime Minister and current President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.