CHP deputy leader says he has received death threats

ANKARA – Anadolu Agency

CHP Deputy Head Sezgin Tanrıkulu. DHA Photo

Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Deputy Head Sezgin Tanrıkulu has said he has been receiving death threats since President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan accused him of playing a role in the recent street protests, in which 37 people were killed.

“The president targeted me in his speech in Rize, and I have received many death threats since he targeted me. The writers who support him have also started to write [against me]. I am still being threatened,” Tanrıkulu said in a press conference at Parliament on Oct. 13.

He added that Erdoğan claimed he had incited people to commit violence via his tweets, but he maintains that none of his tweets included such content.

The CHP deputy head vowed not to bow to any threats and said he would “continue telling the truth.”

“I will not bow to the threats of the president or the prime minister. I will continue to tell the truth. But they should know that, If anything happens to me or my relatives after these threats, they will be the ones responsible,” Tanrıkulu said, also claiming that the government was trying to absolve itself of responsibility for the deaths and violence during the protests by putting the blame on the opposition.