A Turkish court has ordered Özgür Özel, leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), to pay non-pecuniary damages to İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akın Gürlek for remarks made at a political rally, the Birgün daily reported.
The İstanbul 20th Court of First Instance ruled that Özel must pay Gürlek 150,000 lira ($3,500).
At a June 4 rally in İstanbul’s Gaziosmanpaşa district, Özel said: “Akın, you’ve hit a hard spot. We’re at the end of our patience. … I’ll come and shake everything up, so get your act together.” Prosecutors later accused him of “threatening a judicial official in order to prevent him from fulfilling his duties” and “publicly insulting a public official.”
“Akın, you’ve hit a hard rock! We’re at the end of our patience, (…). I’ll come and shake everything up, so get your act together.”
This is not the first time Gürlek has sued Özel. In March a court ordered Özel to pay damages to Gürlek for describing him as “the executioner and mobile guillotine of the palace,” in reference to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Özel has been criticizing Gürlek, a former judge and deputy justice minister, for leading an ongoing judicial crackdown on the CHP, which opposition officials and rights groups say is politically motivated.
The CHP has been under mounting government pressure since October 2024. According to a recent party report, 16 mayors from the party remain in jail, including İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, while government-appointed trustees have taken over 13 municipalities in the year-long crackdown.
İmamoğlu, a senior member of the CHP, was detained on March 19 and arrested days later on corruption charges. He was named his party’s presidential candidate in March for the next general election scheduled for 2028.
His arrest, widely seen as an effort to sideline Erdoğan’s strongest rival ahead of 2028 election, sparked Turkey’s largest protests in a decade.
