Drama As Lawmakers Exchange Blows During Heated Debate, Leave Bloodstains In Chambers In Turkey

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.