The Turkish Supreme Court on Wednesday announced filing criminal charges against members of the country’s constitutional court, which ruled in favor of the release of Can Atalay, a member of parliament belonging to the Workers’ Party of Turkey (TIP).
On the same day the newly elected leader of the opposition’s Republican People’s Party (CHP), Ozgur Ozel referred to the decision as an “attempted coup” against the parliament and the country’s constitution.
Ozel on Thursday announced on X that he, along with party MPs, will participate in a march to protest the decision organized by Turkey’s Bar Associations Union in Ankara.
“Tomorrow, we will participate and support the ‘rule of law’ march organized by the Union of Turkish Bar Associations, together with our MPs,” Ozel said.
“I invite all Ankara residents who want to show their reaction to this attempt to mutiny against the constitutional order to support the march,” he added.
The constitutional court is Turkey’s top court, and it stands above the Supreme Court in the country’s judicial hierarchy.
The Pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (HEDEP) also condemned the Supreme Court decision and blamed the ruling alliance of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) with the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) for the court’s decision.
“Obviously, the main responsible for this legal disaster is the AKP-MHP alliance. This alliance has eliminated law and justice for its own interests,” Party co-Chair Tuncer Bakirhan said in a press conference on Thursday.
Last year Atalay was sentenced to 18 years in prison as a part of the Gezi Park trial. Atalay ran for May’s parliamentary elections in Jail and was elected as a member of the parliament. Then he petitioned the Supreme Court to release him on the basis of the immunity to prosecution he enjoys as MP. The court rejected Atalay’s petition.
Last month, the Turkish Constitutional Court ruled that the Supreme Court had violated Atalay’s rights, and the politician had to be released.
The Supreme Court issued a statement accusing the Constitutional Court of “exceeding its legal authority” and filed a criminal complaint with the chief public prosecutor’s office.
