Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has sued main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu over a statement in which he characterized Erdoğan as a “traitor” to the country, with the prime minister’s lawyers claiming that Kılıçdaroğlu violated Erdoğan’s personal rights.
Erdoğan’s lawyers Ali Özkaya, Muammer Cemaloğlu and Burhanettin Sevencan argued in a petition lodged with an Ankara court that Kılıçdaroğlu directed excessively heavy insults at the prime minister in a CHP party meeting on Thursday.Alluding to the prime minister, Kılıçdaroğlu gave a definition of “traitor” to the gathering, saying, “The man who fails to protect his country and its interests is a traitor.”
Erdoğan’s lawyers quoted Kılıçdaroğlu’s statement in their petition and pointed out that those remarks exceeded the legitimate boundaries of freedom of speech and fair public criticism.
The lawyers demanded damages of TL 100,000 from Kılıçdaroğlu for what they are calling a gross and offensive violation of Erdoğan’s personal rights.
Violation of “personal rights” is the basis for civil suits, as set forth in Turkey’s Code of Obligations.
(Today’s Zaman)
