Suit for Damages Against CHP Chair: President Erdoğan Requests 500 Thousand Lira

* Photo: Raşit Aydoğan / AA

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President and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has filed a suit for non-pecuniary damages against main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.

President Erdoğan has requested 500,000 Turkish Lira (TRY) from Kılıçdaroğlu due to his speech at the last CHP weekly group meeting.

In his speech on February 11, CHP Chair said, "The political authority that cleared the way for the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ) is the political wing of the FETÖ. The name of the person who surrendered the state to the FETÖ is Recep Tayyip Erdoğan."

Submitting the lawsuit petition to the Penal Court of First Instance on behalf of his client, attorney Hüseyin Aydın has indicated that the personal rights of Erdoğan were gravely violated by the remarks of Kılıçdaroğlu.

'If he lives in a free country, he owes it to our President'

In his petition to court, Aydın has argued that Kılıçdaroğlu made unfounded and groundless accusations against Erdoğan. Referring to the statements of Kılıçdaroğlu as "lies", the petition has indicated the following in brief:

"All of the points put forward by the defendant are unreal. Statements were previously made regarding these allegations on various occasions and it was explained in such a way to ensure that even a person with a mediocre intelligence could understand that these allegations were unjust and unfounded. As we have indicated for several times before, the distortion of facts, such an easy expression of lies and the normalization of insults and smears to such an extent belong to the FETÖ's moral code.

"It is important to remember that if the defendant lives in a country which is not dominated by the FETÖ today, he owes it especially to our President and our nation who supports him."

Indicating that Kılıçdaroğlu's remarks about Erdoğan cannot be regarded as criticisms, the petition of the attorney has argued that the legal conditions for a suit for non-pecuniary damages have arisen.

Accordingly, attorney Hüseyin Aydın has requested that Kılıçdaroğlu pay Erdoğan 500,000 TRY in non-pecuniary damages.

He requested 250,000 TRY three months ago

President and AKP Chair Erdoğan filed another suit for non-pecuniary damages against Kılıçdaroğlu three months ago and requested 250,000 TRY due to his speech at the CHP weekly group meeting.

In that speech of his, Kılıçdaroğlu said, "Whoever makes a present of his own armory to a foreign army is called a traitor all over the world, I am just calling a spade a spade. He cannot even temp to file a lawsuit." (HA/SD)