‘Walk for justice’ to go on despite Erdogan threat: Opposition chief
Head of Republican People's Party (CHP), the main opposition party in Turkey, says he would continue with his protest walk across the country despite threats by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that he could face legal action over the controversial action.
Kemal Kilicdaroglu said Sunday that he would press on with a "walk for justice" from Ankara to Istanbul in protest at a heavy jail sentence handed down to former journalist turned CHP lawmaker Enis Berberoglu.
A court sentenced Berberoglu to 25 years in jail on Wednesday for leaking classified information to a newspaper.
Kilicdaroglu said he was undeterred by Erdogan’s threats that the action might lead to legal proceedings against him.
“They want to provoke us but we will not give in! They want to threaten us with the courts and he (Erdogan) calls out the judges, the prosecutors,” said the CHP chief, adding, “We are walking for justice, not against justice.”
The 68-year-old Kilicdaroglu made the remarks while completing the fourth day of the 450-kilometer (280 miles) trek that is expected to take almost a month and will culminate at Maltepe prison in Istanbul where Berberoglu is being held.
Erdogan said Saturday that actions like the march by Kilicdaroglu would bring no good for Turkey, saying the opposition leader should not "be surprised" if legal proceedings were opened.
Turkey has seen a surge in political fighting since a failed coup attempt on July 15 last year. The opposition has constantly criticized a crackdown launched since the coup which has seen more than 40,000 people arrested and over 100,000 discharged from their jobs. Kilicdaroglu even once accused Erdogan of being the "July 20 coup plotter", saying he had used the deadly coup by military renegades to consolidate his rule in Turkey.
Tensions rose again on April 16 when voters endorsed changes to Turkey’s constitution and gave Erdogan more powers as president. The CHP has censured Erdogan’s narrow victory in the referendum while warning that Erdogan would slide Turkey into a one-man rule system.
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