(Adnkronos) – A Turkish court has annulled the provincial congress of the main opposition party, the Chp, in Istanbul, ordering the removal of provincial leader Ozgur Celik and 195 other leadership members and delegates. The decision concerns the congress of 8 October 2023, the 38th Provincial Congress, in which Celik was elected president.
The dismissed leader reacted harshly, accusing the judiciary of being instrumentalized for political purposes: “We are in a period where, while heinous crimes are committed every day in Istanbul and a deep security crisis is experienced, the Turkish justice system is engaged in political operations, filling prisons with opponents instead of criminals,” Celik wrote on social media.
The opposition leader then claimed his legal battle: “We are facing an attempt to silence our party with political sentences. We will continue our democratic struggle in the streets, while our legal committee carries on an intense battle in the courts. In the end, we will conquer true justice, an independent judicial system and democratic politics. Not only we will win, but all the citizens of Turkey”.
