CHP Istanbul chair probed for calling Erdoğan a ‘dictator’
Turkish prosecutors have launched an investigation into main opposition CHP Istanbul chair Canan Kaftancıoğlu on charges of "insulting the President" following her remarks calling Erdoğan a "dictator."
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The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has launched an investigation into main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Istanbul provincial chairwoman Canan Kaftancıoğlu over her remarks calling President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan a "dictator."
Kaftancıoğlu on Aug. 12 referred to Erdoğan as a "dictator" during a meeting with the heads of the CHP’s provincial youth branches.
“Maybe we will overthrow a dictator through democracy for the first time in the history of the world by relying on the energy you have created,” Kaftancıoğlu said during the meeting, speaking to the youth.
The prosecutor's office launched an investigation into Kaftancıoğlu on charges of “insulting the Presiden.”
Moreover, Erdogan's lawyers filed a criminal complaint against her, claiming that she used "derogatory statements" about the President.
The complaint asked Kaftancıoğlu to be punished for the crime of "publicly insulting the President."
Following her remarks, ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Group Deputy Chair Bülent Turan on Aug. 13 responded to Kaftancıoğlu and said: “If Erdogan were a dictator, would there ever be an election? If he were a dictator, can you curse these words?