21 more people face a lawsuit over lynch attempt against CHP Chair

Click to read the article in Turkish

The Çubuk Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has filed a lawsuit against 21 people as part of the investigation launched into the lynch attempt against main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu during a soldier's funeral in Ankara in 2019.

With this recent lawsuit, the number of people facing a lawsuit over the attempted lynch has increased to 68.

CLICK - Attack Against CHP Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu

As reported by Alican Uludağ, the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office identified new suspects after examining the camera footage of the incident.

Accordingly, it has indicted 21 people on charges of insult, injury and damaging public property. The indictment has referred to Kılıçdaroğlu as well as to CHP MPs Levent Gök, Murat Emir and Yıldırım Kaya, adviser Deniz Demir and Barış Bozkurt as complainants.

'No evidence proves that it was planned'

According to the indictment, there was no tip-off or intelligence suggesting that an incident might occur during the funeral ceremony or that there was preparation in that regard. The indictment has also indicated that there is no evidence suggesting that the incident was planned.

The indictment has said that the suspects came together to attend the funeral, not to execute a decision to commit crimes.

It has further stressed that the protests ensuing Kılıçdaroğlu's arrival in the ceremony evolved into acts constituting crimes and the suspects acted with the intention of injuring Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.

CLICK - New Video Footage Showing the Moment of Attack Against CHP Chair Kılıçdaroğlu

What happened?

Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the Chair of main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), was attacked by a group of people in Çubuk, Ankara on April 21, 2019 after attending the funeral of Yener Kırıkçı, a soldier who lost his life during the military operations in Turkey-Iraq border in Hakkari.

Faced with an lynch attempt, Kılıçdaroğlu took refuge in a house; he was then taken out of the village in an armored vehicle.

A lawsuit was filed against 36 people and 11 people under the age of 18 over the lynch attempt. This trial will continue today. (RT/SD)