Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the head of Turkey's largest opposition Republican People's Party, who stood as a presidential candidate in the May 2023 presidential elections, may be arrested in the coming days as part of an inquiry into 28 lawsuits filed against him. TASS news reported on June 22 that the politician might face up to 110 years in jail, mostly for criticising President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Since Kilicdaroglu was nominated as a presidential candidate, he did not participate in the legislative elections held in May. As a result, he did not gain parliamentary immunity. Seizing this opportunity, representatives from the ruling Justice and Development Party wasted no time after the presidential elections. They united requests in parliament against the leader of the Republican Party and initiated a criminal case. The charges include insulting Erdogan, making threats, spreading slander, inciting hatred and ethnic discord, and propagating terrorist organization propaganda. Additionally, Erdogan's party emphasized that the majority of lawsuits were initiated by the Turkish leader himself.
Previously, Erdogan had frequently won such trials and donated the cash to charity.
Political observers feel that putting the Turkish Republican leader to criminal accountability is unlikely because most of the cases were launched in parliament and are politically motivated. Furthermore, this risks destabilising Turkey's political position, as the party led by Kilicdaroglu is the republic's oldest and second largest party, clears TASS.
Previously Daryo reported that, in the second round of the presidential elections, Kilicdaroglu lost to Erdogan in May of 2023.
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