Turkish parliament to summon during recess over Gezi prisoner Can Atalay’s deputyship
The Turkish parliament will summon on Aug. 16 over the jailed Can Atalay's deputyship. Atalay’s deputyship was controversially stripped off for being convicted in the Gezi Park case based on the highest appeals court’s decision. But, the Constitutional Court recently deemed this decision unlawful in line with its previous decisions.
Duvar English
The Turkish Parliament will summon on Aug. 16 during its recess to discuss the status of jailed former deputy Can Atalay.
The Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş called on the deputies to summon after the opposition parties called for an extraordinary meeting.
The move came after the Constitutional Court ruled that the annulment of Atalay's deputyship was “null and void.” After the decision, TİP applied for the reinstatement of Atalay's personal rights, who remained in prison and was stripped of his parliamentary status despite the court's ruling.
The parliament normally has gone into recess for the summer until Oct. 1.
Atalay was sentenced in 2022 after being convicted of trying to overthrow the government by allegedly organizing the nationwide Gezi Park protests in 2013 with philanthropist Osman Kavala, also now jailed, and six others.
In January 2024, the parliament stripped Atalay of his seat following the Court of Cassation ruling, the highest appeals court in the country, against the Constitutional Court ruling.
The Constitutional Court had ruled in October 2023 that the imprisonment of the elected deputy violated his rights to security, liberty and the right to be elected.
Atalay was elected to parliament in May last year to represent the Workers' Party of Turkey (TİP) while serving an 18-year prison sentence.