On Friday, a dramatic clash erupted in the Turkish Parliament when a heated debate over the detention of an opposition delegate escalated into physical violence.
The brawl erupted when Ahmet Sik, a representative from the same party as the jailed deputy, was attacked by a member of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party during a tense session.
Televised footage captured the moment Sik, who had just accused the ruling party of being a “terrorist organisation,” was approached and assaulted at the chamber’s podium.
AP reports that a chaotic scene unfolded in the Turkish Grand National Assembly during a recent session, with multiple deputies involved in a scuffle.
A female lawmaker was struck, leaving bloodstains on the steps leading to the speaker’s lectern, and another opposition member was also injured. Physical altercations among Turkey’s lawmakers are not uncommon.
Ozgur Ozel, leader of the largest opposition party, condemned the violence, stating, “It is a shameful situation. Instead of exchanging words, fists are flying, and there is blood on the ground. They are hitting women.”
The session was convened to discuss the case of Can Atalay, who was elected from prison as a parliamentary deputy for the Workers’ Party of Turkey (TIP) in last year’s election.
Atalay, who had been sentenced to 18 years in prison for his role in the 2013 anti-government protests against then-Prime Minister Erdogan, has been fighting to take his seat in parliament. Achieving parliamentary immunity would enable his release from Marmara prison, though he has pledged to return to prison once his term concludes.
Despite favourable rulings from the Constitutional Court, lower courts have ignored these decisions, leading to a judicial crisis and increased frustration among Atalay’s supporters. On August 1, the Constitutional Court declared the decision to strip Atalay of his parliamentary status “null and void.”
In response, opposition parties called for a special session to address the matter. The convictions of Atalay and seven others in the Gezi Park case have faced widespread criticism from human rights organizations and legal experts. Osman Kavala, the main defendant, received a life sentence without parole, and the European Court of Human Rights has called for his release, citing arbitrary detention and political motivations.
The Gezi Park protests began in the summer of 2013 as an environmental campaign against the development of a central Istanbul park, but quickly expanded to broader protests against Erdogan’s increasingly authoritarian regime.
Amnesty International’s Turkey office emphasized on social media that Atalay’s personal freedom, security, and right to be elected, which the Constitutional Court found to have been violated, should be restored.
After a three-hour recess, the parliamentary session resumed, with both the involved deputies receiving reprimands from the parliament’s speaker.
