On Friday, the Turkish Parliament witnessed a dramatic confrontation, as an intense debate regarding the detention of an opposition delegate escalated into physical altercations.
During the tense session, a brawl erupted when Ahmet Sik, a representative from the same party as the imprisoned deputy, was assaulted by a member of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party.
Televised footage documented the incident where Sik, after accusing the ruling party of being a “terrorist organization,” was confronted and attacked at the chamber’s podium.
AP reports that a tumultuous incident transpired in the Turkish Grand National Assembly during a recent session, as several deputies became embroiled in a physical altercation.
A female legislator was struck, resulting in bloodstains on the steps to the speaker’s lectern, and another opposition member sustained injuries as well. It is not unusual for physical confrontations to occur among lawmakers in Turkey.
Ozgur Ozel, the leader of the largest opposition party, denounced the violence, remarking, “This is a disgraceful scenario. Rather than engaging in dialogue, individuals resort to physical aggression, resulting in bloodshed and attacks on women.”
The meeting was held to deliberate on the case of Can Atalay, who was elected as a parliamentary deputy for the Workers’ Party of Turkey (TIP) in last year’s election while incarcerated.
Atalay, sentenced to 18 years in prison for his involvement in the 2013 anti-government protests against then-Prime Minister Erdogan, has been striving to secure his parliamentary seat. Securing parliamentary immunity would facilitate his release from Marmara prison; however, he has vowed to return to prison upon the completion of his term.
Although the Constitutional Court has issued favorable rulings, lower courts have disregarded these decisions, resulting in a judicial crisis and heightened frustration among Atalay’s supporters. On August 1, the Constitutional Court ruled that the decision to revoke Atalay’s parliamentary status is “null and void.”
In response, the opposition parties requested a special session to address the issue. The convictions of Atalay and seven others in the Gezi Park case have been widely criticized by human rights organizations and legal experts. Osman Kavala, the principal defendant, was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. The European Court of Human Rights has advocated for his release, highlighting concerns of arbitrary detention and political motivations.
The Gezi Park protests, which commenced in the summer of 2013 initially as an environmental initiative opposing the redevelopment of a central park in Istanbul, soon evolved into widespread demonstrations against Erdogan’s increasingly authoritarian governance.
Amnesty International’s Turkey office highlighted on social media the need to restore Atalay’s personal freedom, security, and electoral rights, which the Constitutional Court determined had been violated.
Following a three-hour recess, the parliamentary session reconvened, during which both participating deputies were formally reprimanded by the Speaker of the Parliament.
