Women from AKP file a complaint against columnist over İstanbul Convention remarks

* Photo: Ali Balıkçı - Ankara / AA

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Ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Women's Branch Chair Lütfiye Selva Çam has announced that the Central Office Women's Branch and all 81 provincial women's branches simultaneously filed criminal complaints against Islamist columnist-writer Abdurrahman Dilipak.

Holding a press conference at the AKP central office in the capital city of Ankara earlier today (August 11), Lütfiye Selva Çam has indicated, "Our AKP Central Office has appealed to justice against daily Yeni Akit columnist Abdurrahman Dilipak due to his attacks targeting the women of our party with his insults, ugly ascriptions and articles."

AKP Women's Branch Chair Çam has also noted that "a lawsuit has been filed for the judicial follow-up" of the incident.

What happened?

Amid ongoing debates on Turkey's possible withdrawal from the İstanbul Convention, writer-columnist Abdurrahman Dilipak penned an article for pro-government daily Yeni Akit on July 27, which has caused an outrage among women from every segment of the society.

In his article, Dilipak called those who support the İstanbul Convention "prostitutes." In his article entitled "The daisies of the AKP," Dilipak called on conservative businesspeople against the "prostitutes" who receive international funds and support the convention.

'AK Women's movement is not a feminist one'

In today's press conference, Lütfiye Selva Çam has said, "The women of the AK Party have paid attention to engaging in politics by standing upright, but without getting stubborn or becoming mannish. The AK Women's movement is never a feminist movement. AK Women have never been 'daisies'."

Noting that despite the reactions, Dilipak has not shown any signs of remorse or made any attempts to retract his statements, on the contrary, he has kept on sharing misleading articles and messages, Çam has indicated that they "condemn the dirty and ugly mentality which insults women who try to fulfil their duty without any income or benefit."

She has also expressed her wish that "from now on, no one will turn their pen into a tool of political threat."

Dilipak: Another memory for my biography

Speaking about the criticisms on Akit TV on Eid al-Adha in late July, Abdurrahman Dilipak said, "No other person who works as much as me for the AK Party can be found. Considering that they will put me on trial... Then, great! To be honest, I was not expecting that much, but it is apparently in my fate. Another memory has come up for my biography." (AS/SD)