Lawsuit filed against Erdoğan for calling Gezi protestors 'sluts'

Duvar English

Turkey's opposition leftist People's Liberation Party (HKP) as well as a lawmaker from the main opposition Republican People's (CHP) have filed a criminal complaint against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan after he referred to Gezi Park protestors as “sluts” (“sürtük” in Turkish).

The criminal complaint submitted by the HKP to the prosecutor's office said that Erdoğan had committed the crime of “insulting” millions of people and “inciting people into animosity and hatred,” Deutsche Welle Turkish reported.

The party also called on citizens to similarly launch a lawsuit against the president, sharing a petition which they can use. “You can download the petition for the criminal complaint from the link below,” read the HKP's tweet.

CHP İzmir deputy Sevda Erdan Kılıç also announced on her Twitter account that she filed a criminal complaint against the president over his remarks.

Meanwhile, İlhan Taşçı, an opposition member of Turkey's media watchdog RTÜK, called on the organization to probe Erdoğan's remarks, saying that the use of such profane words “against millions of citizens during a live broadcast is unimaginable and unacceptable.”

In his petition to RTÜK, Taşçı said: “As per its law, RTÜK needs to keep its equal distance to all citizens and all broadcasters whatever their position is. RTÜK cannot turn a dear ear to such vulgar and profane language that was heard by 84 million people.”

On June 1, Erdoğan once again attacked Gezi Park protestors, calling them “terrorists and sluts.” “They [Gezi Park protestors] are rotten to the core, they are sluts,” Erdoğan said in remarks which soon became a trending topic on Twitter, facing a severe backlash among citizens.

Gezi Park protests initially began in Istanbul in May 2013 as a reaction to renovation plans of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), which aimed to construct a replica Ottoman barracks on the city's few remaining green spots. The protests later grew into nationwide protests and spread to other cities.

Turkish police batter Gezi Park protestors on anniversary of nationwide protestsDomestic

Turkish opposition MPs hang 'Gezi Park' banner on Bosphorus Bridge Domestic