Legal action taken on main opposition CHP deputy for 'insulting' Erdoğan

ANKARA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s lawyers have filed a criminal complaint against main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Spokesperson Bülent Tezcan, after he called Erdoğan “a fascist dictator.”

The Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office filed an indictment against Tezcan on Oct. 31 after Erdoğan’s lawyers issued a complaint.

“We have filed a legal petition to the Ankara Public Prosecutor’s Office against Bülent Tezcan based on the offence of insulting the president,” lawyer Hüseyin Aydın posted on his Twitter account on Oct. 31.

The legal action came after Tezcan called Erdoğan a “fascist dictator” in a speech in the northwestern province of Tekirdağ on Oct. 30.

“I am saying here at Tekirdağ Square, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is a fascist dictator,” the CHP spokesman had said, prompting anger from ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) officials.

Presidential Spokesman İbrahin Kalın reacted through his official Twitter account, saying legal action would be taken.

“Bülent Tezcan’s hate speech is a disgrace for the main opposition party. It is not an example of politics, it is an example of animosity to the will of the people. A legal path will be pursued,” Kalın posted on Oct. 30.

Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdağ described Tezcan’s words as “immoral.”

“It is grave immorality, vulgar and rude. There is a grave sense of animosity there. The only fascist party in Turkey is the CHP,” Bozdağ said on Oct. 30 after a cabinet meeting.

Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım also slammed Tezcan, criticizing the main opposition party for “adopting offensive language” against the ruling party.

“A party spokesperson has voiced indecent words about our president. When I heard it, I could not understand if this person is the party’s spokesperson or its slamming person,” he said on Oct. 31 in an address to his party group at parliament.

“Recently the CHP has been suffering a deterioration in tone, which is gradually becoming more serious. Now we are wondering about the reasons for the spokesperson’s latest use of the same unfortunate language,” Yıldırım added.

“If they are searching for a double-dictator, then they should look at their own past and their own traditions,” he said.