Kurtulmuş says parliament should address 'constitutional conflicts'

ANKARA

Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş has called for the "elimination of discrepancies within the constitution" after the parliamentary status of an imprisoned MP was stripped, defying a ruling by the top court last September.

Deputy Speaker Bekir Bozdağ on Jan. 30 delivered the decision to oust Workers' Party of Türkiye (TİP) lawmaker Can Atalay in the absence of Kurtulmuş, who was on an official visit to the United Arab Emirates.

Upon his return to Türkiye, Kurtulmuş refuted allegations of deliberate absence to avoid delivering the verdict himself. He clarified that had he been present in the country, Bozdağ would still have administered the verdict "in accordance with the parliamentary protocols."

His call for clarity stems from different judicial decisions surrounding Atalay. The Constitutional Court twice deemed his continued incarceration a "violation of rights," but the Court of Appeals disregarded these rulings.

Kurtulmuş said the higher judiciary "should go beyond being institutions that contradict each other" and whose decisions differ.

"In this sense, the responsibility of parliament is to eliminate the contradictions in the constitution on this issue," he stated.

The parliament speaker advocated for clarity in defining activities that constitute crimes against the state as Atalay, who received an 18-year prison sentence last year for his alleged role in organizing nationwide Gezi Park protests in 2013, was elected to parliament during last May's elections while in prison.

As the court's decision was read in parliament by Bozdağ, opposition lawmakers rushed to the podium. Some booed and held up signs reading “Freedom to Can Atalay,” while one threw a copy of the Turkish constitution at the deputy speaker.

The escalating tension prompted him to adjourn the session following the verdict's announcement.

Atalay's legal team, meanwhile, has appealed the decision to the top court, this time seeking redress against the parliamentary ousting.