The court has proven us right: CHP leader

ANKARA

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The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has suggested the top court’s Balyoz ruling has proven their party right, as they have constantly criticized the judicial process related to the case from the very beginning.

“A humanitarian drama has been experienced in the Balyoz case and similar cases. We are not able to bring the deceased back to life,” CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu told daily Hürriyet yesterday, referring to the three convicts who passed away during the lengthy judicial process before the ruling.

The three defendants who passed are Tarık Akça (50), Halil Yıldız (60) and Murat Özenalp (49). Akça was found dead in April 2012, with suicide as the suspected cause. Yıldız was found dead in late October 2013 after being released upon the Supreme Court of Appeals’ verdict on Oct. 9. Özenalp died in early May, five days after he was taken to hospital after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage in prison.

“However, the governing party owes an apology to their families as it assumed the role of ‘prosecution’ and responsibility in these cases. Maybe the families can get a little peace if they offer an apology,” Kılıçdaroğlu said.