Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan – Photo: AFP
CAIRO – 6 March 2020: Turkish Parliament members from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) is being investigated for insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, saying he is “dishonorable” and a “traitor” to the country.
CHP Deputy Chairman Engin Özkoç in a press conference on Tuesday slammed Erdogan over the previous reference to a killed Turkish soldier as a "head”.
"A person who calls a martyr a ‘head’ is dishonorable, a person who calls a martyr a ‘head’ is undignified in the Republic of Turkey. Such a person is a traitor,’’ Özkoç said.
Özkoç also accused Erdogan of being responsible for the massacre of millions of Muslims in war-torn Syria.
Within hours, the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation.
Furthermore, Erdogan filed a one-million-Turkish Lira lawsuit against Özkoçhis for his “impudent remarks”, according to Erdoğan’s lawyer Hüseyin Aydın.
It is worth mentioning that a fight broke out in parliament on March 4 between AKP and CHP deputies as Özkoç was delivering his speech.
Insulting the president is a crime according to Article 299 of the Turkish Penal Code and carries a maximum sentence of four years in prison.
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