11.04.2025 18:50
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan filed a lawsuit for 500,000 Turkish Lira in damages against CHP Chairman Özgür Özel due to remarks he made during a rally held in front of Şişli Municipality.
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President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has made a new move against CHP Chairman Özgür Özel. Erdoğan filed a lawsuit against Özel due to his statements made in front of Şişli Municipality.
THE LAWSUIT PETITION INCLUDED ÖZEL'S WORDS
The lawsuit petition submitted to the Istanbul 46th Civil Court by Erdoğan's lawyer Ahmet Özel included the statements made by the defendant, CHP Chairman Özel, during the rally in front of Şişli Municipality on Wednesday, April 9.
"The defendant Özgür Özel, in every rally, tries to cover up the corruption and other scandals involving his own party by insulting our esteemed President with slurs and attacks, directly targeting my client and inciting the masses to clear his party's name." The petition stated, "In this process, along with various bureaucrats and politicians, he is trying to create a perception by throwing mud at our esteemed President, attempting to intimidate public authorities with slander and defamation. He is making efforts to clear his party's name by directly targeting my client and inciting the masses. In this context, the defendant's statements are not merely personal criticism but are declarations that threaten public order and have the potential to harm the constitutional order."
"IT CLEARLY CONTAINS HATE SPEECH"
The petition noted that despite the absence of any concrete basis or confirmation, Özel has deliberately attributed a clearly distorted and false event to President Erdoğan, stating:
"The defendant has produced conspiracy theories about our client and many public officials and has spread them to the public, trying to portray our client, in a manner completely inconsistent with his character, as someone who acts unlawfully, undemocratically, and conspiratorially. In this process, he has targeted not only our client but also public authorities and voters through him.
This situation clearly constitutes hate speech. The defendant is trying to cover up the allegations and various scandals against his own party and party members by inciting the public against our client and insulting him."
"AIMING TO DISPARAGE WITH FETÖ-BASED ACCUSATIONS"
The petition stated, "The defendant is trying to bring back to the agenda the slanders fabricated by FETÖ during the December 17-25 process, which were used to prepare the ground for a coup attempt, and is attempting to spread them to the public. In this regard, he aims to tarnish our client, who is known for his struggle against FETÖ, with baseless accusations originating from FETÖ. The defendant's actions are clearly unlawful, infringe upon our client's personal rights, and are aimed at deliberately misleading the public with completely false claims."
"SUCH STATEMENTS CREATE A DETERRENT PRESSURE"
The petition emphasized that Özel's insulting statements, the disinformation he spreads, and the conspiracy theories he puts forward are clearly contrary to both the law and general moral principles, stating, "The systematic slander and vile expressions carried out by the defendant not only violate our client's personal rights but also undermine the freedom to seek justice.
Such statements lead to the stigmatization of individuals who file lawsuits and seek their rights in society, creating a deterrent pressure. According to Article 49 of the Turkish Code of Obligations No. 6098, individuals whose personal rights have been unlawfully violated have the right to demand compensation for the moral damage they have suffered. The moral damage suffered by our client due to the defendant's actions has been substantiated, and compensation for this damage is required."
"THE ACTIONS WERE CARRIED OUT IN AN ORGANIZED MANNER"
The petition stated, "Furthermore, when considering the statements made by individuals who spoke after the defendant, which directly targeted our client, the banners opened in the rally area, and the collective insults directed at our client, it is understood that these actions were carried out together and in an organized manner."
500 THOUSAND LIRA COMPENSATION REQUESTED
The petition noted that the statements made by the defendant Özel, which openly violate personal rights through social media and printed and digital media, have been clearly demonstrated to be unlawful, emphasizing:
"Moreover, the defendant's statements aimed at creating unrest in society, the normalization of insults directed at the highest public office such as the Presidency, and his attitude of targeting public institutions are also important issues that your court should consider. Therefore, we are opening our moral damage claim against the defendant, who makes statements and accusations without any concrete fact or legal basis, for a fair amount of 500 thousand lira, and we request that our case be accepted by your court based on this amount. We also request that the fact that the defendant has made accusations and insults that have been disproven by public institutions and have been officially recognized as false be taken into account by your court."
In the lawsuit petition, it was requested that the case be accepted and that Özel be ordered to pay 500 thousand lira in moral compensation with legal interest starting from the date of the unlawful act.
WHAT DID ÖZGÜR ÖZEL SAY?
CHP Chairman Özgür Özel, in his speech in front of the Şişli Municipality, where a trustee was appointed, stated, "Erdoğan won the title of President in the last general elections he participated in, but when his party tasted defeat for the first time on March 31, when President Ekrem once again demolished those he appointed, and when the Republican People's Party became the first party in Turkey after 47 years on March 31, he could not show the patience we showed for 47 years for even 47 days."
Özel said, "Erdoğan is ungrateful, Erdoğan is a coup plotter, Erdoğan is a junta member, Erdoğan is the head of the junta. He has come out and now says, 'We are the state.' He says, 'The state is behind me.' The state consists of buildings. The discomfort with what you have done in state management is at its peak. But if you stand in front of this nation, saying 'I have seized the state' with a handful of junta members, this nation will definitely show you its own power. It will definitely show you."
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