Trial of lynch attempt against main opposition chair starts

Click to read the article in Turkish

The trial of 36 people for an attempted lynch against Republican People's Party (CHP) Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu started in the capital city of Ankara yesterday (November 30).

The defendants, the attorneys of both sides and several CHP politicians attended the hearing at the Çubuk 2nd Penal Court of First Instance. 

In April 2019, Kılıçdaroğlu was attacked by a group of people at the funeral of a soldier who was killed during military operations along the Iraq border.

The group had booed Kılıçdaroğlu and chanted, "PKK [Kurdistan Workers Party] out" before attacking him.

The main opposition party's chair had been then taken to a safe house in Akkuzulu Neighborhood in Ankara's Çubuk district.

A criminal case was filed after the incident and 36 people were charged with several offenses, including "attacking a public official," "insulting a public official," "inciting people to commit crime," "insult," and "damaging properties belonging to political parties."

None of the defendants have been held in pre-trial detention.

The defendant who punched Kılıçdaroğlu, Osman Sarıgün, said that he didn't remember the incident when he was asked by the judge to tell what happened.

He confirmed his testimony during the investigation phase, where he said he regretted what he did and apologized to Kılıçdaroğlu.

His attorney Muhammed Bayram said that Sarıgün didn't target Kılıçdaroğlu during the incident and therefore his act should be considered as "reckless injury" rather than "willful injury."

Kılıçdaroğlu's attorney, Celal Çelik, said that the defendant continued to incite people into attacking Kılıçdaroğlu and he should give an additional statement for that.

Vahit Delibaş, another defendant, said that he was holding a stick not to attack Kılıçdaroğlu but to protect himself from dogs as he came to the funeral from another village that is three-and-a-half kilometers afar.

In response to attorney Çelik's allegation that there was an attempt to kill Kılıçdaroğlu, he said, "If we had this intention, he would have been already killed."

He said that Kılıçdaroğlu provoked the events by coming to a funeral that he was told not to come.

Ayşe Ortapınar, who was seen attempting to hit Kılıçdaroğlu with a prayer rug, said she didn't have anything against Kılıçdaroğlu and apologized.

Yusuf Bedava, who was seen throwing a rock, said that one of the killed soldiers was his cousin and asked, "What would you do?" (HA/VK)