Huge brawl breaks out in Turkish parliament
A ferocious brawl broke out in the Turkish parliament today after the opposition called President Erdogan 's ruling party a 'terrorist organisation'. In extraordinary scenes, which were televised, punches were thrown between the lawmakers, resulting in one female being viciously hit in the face.
The furore erupted during a heated debate over an opposition delegate, who has been jailed on what are widely considered to be politically motivated charges. Footage shows Ahmet Sik, a representative from the same party as the imprisoned deputy, calling members of the ruling party a 'terrorist organization.
He was then approached and attacked by former footballer Alpay Ozalan, now a lawmaker from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling party, while speaking at the chamber's podium. Dozens of deputies then became involved in the scuffle, with drops of blood apparent on the steps leading to the speaker's lectern. Another opposition member was also reportedly injured. Physical tussles are not uncommon among Turkey's lawmakers.
'It is a shameful situation,' said Ozgur Ozel, who heads the largest opposition party. 'Instead of words flying in the air, fists are flying, there is blood on the ground. They are hitting women.' The extraordinary session of the Turkish Grand National Assembly was called to debate the case of Can Atalay, who was elected from prison as a parliamentary deputy for the Workers' Party of Turkey, or TIP, in last year's election.
He had been sentenced the previous year to 18 years' imprisonment for his role in anti-government protests in 2013, which challenged the rule of Erdogan, then Turkey's prime minister. Since being elected, Atalay has been fighting to take his seat in parliament, which comes with immunity from prosecution and would see him released from Marmara prison. He has said he would return to prison once his term ends.
Although he has achieved successful rulings from the Constitutional Court, these have been ignored by lower courts, sparking a judicial crisis and enflaming a sense of injustice among his supporters. In its third ruling in Atalay's favor, the Constitutional Court said on earlier this month that the decision to strip him of his parliamentary status was 'null and void.' Opposition parties then demanded a special session to discuss the case.
Atalay's conviction, alongside seven other defendants in the Gezi Park case, led to widespread criticism from human rights groups and lawyers. Philanthropist Osman Kavala was jailed for life without parole. On two occasions, the European Court of Human Rights has called for his release, saying his detention was arbitrary and based on political motives.
The Gezi Park protests began in the summer of 2013 with an environmental camp to stop the development of a central Istanbul park. Discontent soon spread to other cities as people protested against Erdogan's increasingly authoritarian rule.
'Atalay's personal freedom and security, as well as his right to be elected, which the Constitutional Court ruled to have been violated, should be restored,' Amnesty International's Turkey office said on Friday in a social media post. The parliamentary session resumed after three hours, with both Sik and his assailant accepting reprimands from the parliament's speaker.
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