Iran Press/Asia: The imprisoned member, a representative of the Workers' Party of Turkey (TİP), is reportedly being held on politically motivated charges.
The altercation began when Ahmet Şık, another member of the Workers' Party of Turkey, was delivering a speech at the parliamentary podium.
During his address, a lawmaker from Erdogan’s ruling party approached and attacked him, sparking a multi-sided brawl involving other representatives, including the physical assault of a female MP.
Reports indicate that another opposition MP was injured, and bloodstains were visible on the steps leading to the parliamentary podium amidst the chaotic confrontation.
Reacting to the incident, Özgür Özel, leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP), Turkey’s largest opposition party, expressed his outrage: "It is deeply shameful. Instead of words flying in the air, fists are flying, and there is blood on the ground. They even strike women."The parliamentary session was convened to address the situation of Şerafettin Can Atalay, a lawyer and member of the Workers' Party of Turkey, who was elected to parliament last year while still imprisoned.
Atalay, known for defending cases related to freedom of expression and human rights, including the Ermenek mine disaster and a student dormitory fire, has been a vocal critic of government actions, including the controversial Gezi Park demolition in 2013.
Atalay was arrested and sentenced to 18 years in prison in 2022, a conviction that has drawn widespread criticism from human rights groups and legal advocates. Since his election, Atalay has been fighting to assume his parliamentary seat, which would grant him immunity from legal prosecution and secure his release from Marmara Prison. Atalay has even stated that he would return to prison after his term in office ends.
Despite securing favorable rulings from Turkey's Constitutional Court, which in its third ruling on August 1 declared the stripping of his parliamentary status "null and void," lower courts have ignored these rulings, creating a judicial crisis in Turkey and fueling a sense of injustice among his supporters.
Atalay's conviction, along with seven others in the Gezi Park case, has been widely condemned, including by the European Court of Human Rights, which has called for the release of Osman Kavala, the main defendant in the case, who was sentenced to life without parole on similar politically charged grounds.
206
Read More:
Türkiye Joins South Africa in ICJ Genocide Case Against Israel
