Turkish police on Friday took violent action against the leadership of the country’s largest opposition party, the CHP. Officers entered the party headquarters in Ankara and used tear gas and rubber bullets against a crowd gathered outside the building, according to Tagesschau. The governor’s office of the capital had ordered the evacuation. Thick smoke hung inside the building, and the situation was initially unclear.
The action follows a controversial court decision on Thursday. A court in Ankara retroactively invalidated the 2023 party congress at which Özgür Özel was elected CHP chairman and removed him from office. The court appointed his predecessor, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, as interim successor. Özel then barricaded himself inside the party headquarters and announced he would not leave. An initial appeal against his removal has already failed.
The CHP leadership rejects the allegations of bribery of delegates that underlie the proceedings. Observers consider the court decision unconstitutional and politically motivated. The opposition accuses the government of deliberately trying to weaken the CHP while numerous proceedings against party members and officials are ongoing.
Source: Tagesschau
