Bahçeli slams CHP over Sinan Ateş case stance

ANKARA

Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli has sharply criticized the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) for its position on the investigation into the murder of Sinan Ateş, a former leader of the ultra-nationalist group Grey Wolves.

“It is simply shameless for the provocateur CHP chair [Özgür Özel] to rant and rave at the court gates with a handful of MHP enemies,” Bahçeli told party members in the parliament on Oct. 1.

Ateş was fatally shot by gunman Eray Özyağcı as he left his office on Dec. 30, 2022, in the capital Ankara’s Çukurambar quarter. The Grey Wolves, once led by Ateş, is a far-right movement affiliated with the MHP.

Özel attended the hearing on Sept. 30 and voiced his concerns to the press.

“The court is trying to decide at the speed of light,” Özel said. “There are only the shooters here. Some of the main instigators are in the file with the confidentiality order.”

He was referring a separate probe concerning the alleged involvement of then-MHP lawmaker Olcay Kılavuz.

“Those who shamelessly distort the facts and look for instigators and murderers... should first look in the mirror and then speak as much as their honor and dignity allow,” Bahçeli said.

"Those who make judgments supposedly and in absentia before the court's verdict is announced and justice is served will bear the sin of their slander."

Several others are implicated in the case, including Doğukan Çep, who is accused of organizing the murder, and former Grey Wolves executives Tolgahan Demirbaş and Emre Yüksel.

Allegations also emerged against former MHP official Ufuk Köktürk, who is said to have sent money to Özyağcı following the attack.

Additionally, the far-right group's current leader, Ahmet Yiğit Yıldırım, and its Ankara head, Ömer Şanlı, have been previously banned from leaving the country.

While some defendants were released during a hearing in July, the current proceedings are expected to continue throughout the week.