CHP Istanbul chair sues Erdoğan and Soylu for 1M liras after being targeted with 'terror' accusations

Turkey's main opposition CHP Istanbul chair Canan Kaftancıoğlu has sued President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu for 1 million liras ($134,000) each in non-pecuniary damages. Kaftancıoğlu filed the lawsuits after she was branded as a “terrorist” by both Erdoğan and Soylu last week.

Tuesday January 12 2021 10:48 pm

CHP Istanbul chair Canan Kaftancıoğlu.

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Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Istanbul chair Canan Kaftancıoğlu has filed separate lawsuits against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu after she was targeted by both of them last week, online news outlet Diken reported on Jan 12.

In a petition filed at the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, Kaftancıoğlu said that both Erdoğan and Soylu should be indicted with charges of “insult,” “abuse of power” and “attempting to influence the judiciary.” Kaftancıoğlu said that both of them had committed a constitutional crime.

In a separate petition filed at the Istanbul Anatolian Civil Court of First Instance, Kaftancıoğlu sought compensation amounting to 1 million liras (approximately $134,000) each from Erdoğan and Soylu over their remarks.

Kaftancıoğlu said that she will distribute all of the money to families in need in Istanbul.

Erdoğan on Jan. 8 referred to Kaftancıoğlu as a “DHKP-C militant,” an acronym used for the Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party-Front. Erdoğan's attack came after Kaftancıoğlu threw her support behind Boğaziçi University protests.

Soylu on the hand called Kaftancıoğlu "a jester of terrorist organizations," and claimed that she was a member of the DHKP-C, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) and the Marxist–Leninist Communist Party (MLKP) - all deemed terrorist organizations in Turkey.

Topics Turkey Canan Kaftancıoğlu Erdoğan Soylu