CHP MP Sezgin Tanrikulu targeted for criticizing Turkish army

Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputy Sezgin Tanrikulu has been placed under investigation for comments he made about the Turkish army. The investigation against the main opposition CHP deputy Sezgin Tanrikulu, who said that the Turkish military once threw 15 villagers out of a helicopter and that this had been confirmed by the ECHR, was launched by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s office.

Turkish army not exempt from criticism

The charges against Tanrikulu include “degrading the Turkish nation, the state of the Republic of Turkey, the institutions and organs of the state” and “inciting the people to hatred and enmity”. The case was opened a day after Tanrikulu said on a live TV100 broadcast that the Turkish army was “not exempt from criticism”.

Tanrikulu said in the program: “Isn’t it the Turkish army that carried out the fascist coup on 12 September? Isn’t it the same army that attempted a coup on 15 July and burned villages? There are dozens of unsolved murders. There are cases that I follow. Isn’t it the Turkish army that threw 15 villagers out of a helicopter? It was confirmed by the ECHR decision.”

Erdogan’s presidential opponent backed the Turkish army

After the investigation was launched, Tanrikulu’s remarks even drew reactions from his own party. CHP spokesperson Faik Öztrak criticized Tanrikulu in a statement: “Diyarbakir deputy Sezgin Tanrikulu’s statements incriminating Turkish Armed Forces, the apple of our nation’s eye, are unacceptable. This issue will be discussed in our authorized bodies”. CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who ran in the last presidential election, backed his party’s criticism in a speech: “Our party spokesman made the statement on this issue. The Turkish armed forces are the apple of our eye.” The Ministry of Defense also issued a statement, describing Tanrikulu’s comments as “slander”.

ECHR confirmed crimes of Turkish army

Tanrikulu responded to the criticism with a statement: “The fact that the AKP deputies and administrators launched an institutional lynching campaign against these grave violations ‘against the Kurds’, which have been proven to be crimes against humanity by the ECHR decisions, and that they embrace this with the principle of ‘continuity in the state is essential’, is once again showing that the AKP is the new owner of the deep state.”

The politician cited some ECHR rulings as examples: the disappearance of 11 villagers in Diyarbakır after they were taken away by a military helicopter, and the bombing of villages with warplanes in Şırnak and the killing of 33 villagers. After citing these events that took place before the AKP era, Tanrikulu added: “The mentality that is trying to lynch me now will also lynch those who say there was a massacre in Roboski 10 years later. But the truth doesn’t disappear when you lynch it.”

Statements of support 

The Diyarbakir Bar Association, which criticized the attacks on Tanrikulu, who is also a lawyer, also issued a statement: “We condemn the attacks that went beyond the limits of criticism and targeted our former chair and Diyarbakir deputy lawyer Sezgin Tanrikulu. As an institution that has experienced the consequences of similar lynching campaigns, we invite the authorities to take the necessary precautions and act responsibly.” In addition, Sirri Süreyya Önder, a deputy from the Green Left Party (YSP), issued a statement on social media in support of Tanrikulu: “He fought for rights for years. He stood by the oppressed. He is our brother.” Önder added the hashtag “Sezgin Tanrikulu is not alone” to his post.

Tanrikulu was previously put under investigation for his comments on allegations that the Turkish armed forces used chemical weapons in their operations against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Tanrikulu said that he had seen the footage of the alleged use of chemical weapons and that chemical weapons are a crime against humanity.