President Erdoğan Sues CHP Leader Özgür Özel for ₺1 Million Over Remarks
Özgür Özel Erdoğan
President and AK Party Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has filed a ₺1 million compensation lawsuit against Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chairman Özgür Özel, citing “inappropriate remarks and baseless accusations” made during political speeches on August 13, 2025.
Erdoğan’s lawyer, Hüseyin Aydın, announced that the lawsuit was filed in Ankara Civil Court and that a criminal complaint was also submitted to the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office for alleged insulting the President.
“Due to the unfounded accusations and offensive expressions targeting our President in Özgür Özel’s speech at a rally in Bayrampaşa and in his press statement at Marmara Prison on August 13, we have filed a moral damages case for a total of ₺1 million. Additionally, a criminal complaint has been filed for the crime of insulting the President,” Aydın said in his statement.
The legal move comes after Özel’s sharp criticism of Erdoğan during political rallies. On the same day, Ankara prosecutors launched an investigation into Özel over “insulting the President”.
In his remarks, Özel accused Erdoğan of political coercion related to the Aziz İhsan Aktaş investigation, claiming Aydın Mayor Özlem Çerçioğlu was threatened.
Özel addressed Erdoğan directly:
“You say ‘The big turnip is in the sack,’ but I won’t keep it there! The AK Toroslar gang is collapsing, the AK Party is collapsing! You were kicked out of Aydın on March 31! If taking Aydın means saying ‘Either get jailed over Aziz İhsan Aktaş or join my party,’ then shame on you! Is this your sense of honor?”
The political row marks yet another heated exchange between Türkiye’s ruling and main opposition party leaders, further intensifying political tensions ahead of upcoming political developments.