Parliament speaker should pave way for Berberoğlu’s return to deputyship: CHP spokesperson

ANKARA

Following a constitutional court ruling, Parliament Speaker Mustafa Şentop is expected to pave the way for the return of former main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputy Enis Berberoğlu to the parliament, said the party spokesperson, Faik Öztrak, on Sept. 21.

“Şentop fell on deaf ears to CHP’s call when the ruling party initiated to strip the deputyship of Berberoğlu, but now he has a responsibility to return the former lawmaker to his duty at the parliament,” Öztrak told reporters at a press conference.

“Mustafa Şentop did not listen to our warnings and instead preferred to take instructions from the [presidential] palace. Now, Şentop has a responsibility. He must urgently end the palace’s tutelage over him. He should protect the national will. He should have Enis Berberoğlu return to the parliament. If he does not do this, he will go down in history as a parliament speaker under the command of the palace,” Öztrak said.

The Constitutional Court ruled on Sept. 17 that Berberoğlu’s right to stand for election and engage in political activities along with his right to freedom and security have been breached for which a retrial will take place for Berberoğlu under the unanimous violation decision of the top court.

The Constitutional Court ruled for a violation of rights and a retrial for Berberoğlu on the grounds that he had been dismissed from deputyship with a final sentence of five years and 10 months before his application was concluded.

The Constitutional Court’s General Assembly ruled that the decision will be sent to the Court of Cassation for his retrial in order for the outcomes of the violation to be removed.

Berberoğlu was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2017 on espionage charges for providing daily Cumhuriyet with a video purporting to show Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MİT) trucking weapons into Syria.

He was re-elected as an MP in the June 24, 2018 elections. He was released from prison in late 2018 after a 15-month imprisonment.

On June 4, the Turkish Parliament stripped Berberoğlu of his deputyship.