Municipal council dispute leads to arrest warrant for CHP deputy chair
Turkish authorities have issued an arrest warrant for Istanbul's Kadıköy district municipal council chair Ahmet Kurtuluş after a dispute with the AKP representative, citing "misconduct." President Erdoğan condemned the incident, accusing CHP of "misogyny."
Duvar English
A Turkish prosecutor on March 8 issued an arrest warrant for Ahmet Kurtuluş, the deputy chair of Istanbul's Kadıköy Municipal Council from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), following a dispute during a council meeting.
The Anadolu Chief Public Prosecutor Zafer Koç ordered the warrant as part of an investigation into charges of “misuse of office,” “obstruction of freedom of expression,” and “obstruction of rights related to public office.”
During a March 7 meeting of the Kadıköy Municipal Council, a dispute arose between Kurtuluş, who presided over the session as the first deputy chair, and Elif Lale Bilgili, a council member from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). While Bilgili was speaking, Kurtuluş said, “Your four minutes are up; you have one more minute.”
Bilgili responded, “Why am I the only one being timed, Mr. Chair? No one else was warned.” When Kurtuluş stated, “I am applying the same rule to everyone,” Bilgili countered that Bilgili was forcing the time limit only on her, and other members from CHP were not timed.
When Bilgili’s microphone was cut off, she protested, saying, “My microphone is shut off in every session. People are asking me to continue, why can't I?"
In response, Kurtuluş said, “Your five minutes are up. Look, it’s now six minutes. This rule applies to everyone. And you’re still speaking.”
As Bilgili continued to protest, Kurtuluş asked for her removal.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan addressed the incident on March 8, and called the CHP a "misogynist" party.
He also touched upon the discussions around the Istanbul Convention, saying, "we have laws in place that already address measures, sanctions, and penalties to combat violence in the strongest way possible. That’s why we say laws save lives, not treaties."
He continued, "If you [CHP] want to raise awareness about violence against women, start with your own cadres and municipalities. The arrogance and fascism displayed toward our female council member once again showed that the Feb. 28 mindset still exists within CHP. The indecency of putting women in their place is a CHP tradition."