08.01.2026 16:20
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan filed a lawsuit for 500,000 Turkish Lira in moral damages due to the statements made by CHP Chairman Özgür Özel at his party's rally in Beykoz yesterday. Additionally, a criminal complaint was filed with the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office for the offense of insulting the President.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has filed a lawsuit for 500,000 Turkish Lira in moral damages against CHP Chairman Özgür Özel.
Erdoğan's lawyer Hüseyin Aydın made a statement from his X account. Aydın said, "A lawsuit for 500,000 TL in moral damages has been filed in the Ankara Civil Court due to the inappropriate statements targeting our esteemed President made by CHP Chairman Özgür Özel during his speech at the rally held in Beykoz on January 7, 2026, as well as the irrational and baseless accusations. Additionally, a criminal complaint has been filed with the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office for the crime of insulting the President," he stated.
WHAT DID ÖZEL SAY?
Özel had stated, "The Erdoğan-Trump relationship is a danger for Turkey. Erdoğan is seeking a future not for Turkey, but for himself from Trump. He is afraid for his own person and is discussing his personal expectations."
ÖMER ÇELİK REACTED
AK Party Deputy Chairman and Party Spokesperson Ömer Çelik said, "Özgür Özel is producing the ugliest slanders in our political history. Özgür Özel's claim that our President is seeking legitimacy by negotiating with a foreign head of state or trying to obtain permission is the biggest lie in our political history," he stated.
Çelik, in a statement on his social media account, said, "The statements of CHP Chairman Özgür Özel have once again gone beyond the political arena. Özgür Özel is not doing politics; he is working as a center for producing slander. He breaks a new record every day in his politics of lies. Özgür Özel is producing the ugliest slanders in our political history. Özgür Özel's claim that our President is seeking legitimacy by negotiating with a foreign head of state or trying to obtain permission is the biggest lie in our political history. Özgür Özel's assertion that our President was threatened by a foreign head of state and therefore negotiated is completely devoid of political reason and morality," he said.
"THERE IS NO REAL POLITICAL PERSPECTIVE ON TURKEY"
Çelik, stating that "There is not a single person in Turkey or the world who takes Özgür Özel's words seriously," continued as follows:
"Özgür Özel has no real political perspective on Turkey. He does not understand the developments around our country. He is unaware of the developments in the world. Since it is impossible for him to understand our President's will and his approach to regional and global issues, his only job is a slander campaign. The whole world is following how our President will navigate regional and global developments. It would be beneficial for Özgür Özel to closely follow these dynamics and enter a learning process."