Justice minister accuses CHP head of committing crime in protest march

ANKARA

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Statements made by main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu during his Istanbul march protesting against injustice in Turkey and the detention of a CHP lawmaker amount to a criminal offence, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ has claimed.  

“Statements from the CHP leader Kılıçdaroğlu - which exceed the limits of criticisms toward judicial members and include defamation and provocation - are alarming,” Bozdağ said on Jun. 16. 

His comments came after Kılıçdaroğlu set out to march to Istanbul from Ankara in protest at the conviction of CHP Istanbul deputy Enis Berberoğlu on June 14. 

“A court decision cannot be supervised by inviting people to streets,” Bozdağ said, accusing the main opposition head of “acting against the judicial order” and “committing a criminal offence.” 

“It is openly a criminal offence to target, affront and threaten judiciary members, making statements in a way intended to influence them while the judicial process is ongoing,” he added.