TÜRKİYE ORTA ASYA HABER KKUORDİNATÖRÜ

World Turks Congress - World Turks Assembly World Turkish News - world turkish news:worldpres Los Angeles Times 24/05/2025 Government Police. Turkish police raided the offices of the main opposition party, using tear gas and rubber bullets. Cliques within the CHP facilitated this. Turkish riot police raided the headquarters of the main opposition party, using tear gas and rubber bullets, to end three days of tension with supporters opposing the court-appointed party leadership. The ousted party leader, Özgür Özel, tore up the court order removing him from office, then led a march to parliament in the rain, vowing to rebuild the CHP party and resist government interference. This striking raid deepens concerns about Türkiye’s eroding democracy at a time when President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government faces accusations of using the courts as a weapon against the CHP ahead of future elections. ANKARA, Turkey — Police raided the offices of Türkiye’s main opposition party on Sunday, using tear gas and rubber bullets against party supporters and officials who had been hiding inside for three days. This marked the violent end to tensions between members of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and a leadership team appointed by an appeals court, escalating tensions between the opposition and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government amid growing signs of the erosion of democracy in Türkiye. Supporters had barricaded the courtyard entrance with buses and the building with furniture. Videos filmed by local media in the courtyard and inside the building showed clouds of tear gas as riot police raided the building; journalists were then removed by police. Advertising Insights on Employee Benefits & Effective HR Practices Paid Content Insights on Employee Benefits & Effective HR Practices By LA Times Studios When the raid began, supporters attempted to resist by firing fire extinguishers at police, but were quickly stopped. In the ensuing melee, doors, furniture, and ground-floor windows were damaged. Among those inside the building was Özgür Özel, who was elected party leader in November 2023 but removed from the position last week by an appeals court ruling. In his first and only election as party leader, Özel had dealt a decisive blow to Erdoğan's Justice and Development Party. A video taken inside his office at the start of the raid on Sunday shows him being served the eviction order and immediately tearing it up. Advertisement Stability, Scale and Momentum: Guatemala’s Economy in Transition Paid Content Stability, Scale and Momentum: Guatemala’s Economy in Transition By IGM Investments Leaving the party headquarters to the applause of his supporters outside, Ozel told reporters: “We are leaving [the building] now, but we will take it back in such a way that no one can interfere again. When we return, neither this administration nor its collaborators will dare to do this again.” Despite heavy rain and hail, Ozel and his supporters, joined by hundreds of passersby, marched about five miles to parliament. Before reaching the Grand National Assembly building, they stopped at National Sovereignty Park and asked the crowd if they were willing to re-establish the party for a third time. The CHP, founded in 1923 by Türkiye's founding father Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, was shut down by the military coup of 1980 and re-emerged in 1992. Outside the parliament building, Özel addressed a crowd of hundreds, stating that the CHP was "effectively closed" but would be re-established. Even though he has been removed from the CHP leadership, Özel continues to serve as a Member of Parliament elected from the western region of Manisa and as the party's spokesperson. Thursday's appeals court ruling invalidated Özel's election as CHP leader and removed him and the party's executive board members from their positions. The ruling stated that Özel should be replaced by his predecessor, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, who led the party for 13 years but failed to win a single national election. The opposition says the decision is politically motivated, aimed at weakening the party, which is already grappling with a wave of lawsuits targeting its members and elected officials. The next presidential election won't be held until 2028, but Erdoğan could call for an early election. His main rival is Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, a member of the CHP (Republican People's Party).