A heated altercation broke out in the Turkish Parliament on Friday during a debate concerning the detention of an opposition delegate. The session quickly turned violent when Ahmet Sik, a representative from the same party as the imprisoned deputy, was attacked by a member of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party. Sik had just accused the ruling party of being a “terrorist organization” when he was assaulted at the chamber’s podium, as captured by televised footage.
Reports from the Associated Press reveal that the Turkish Grand National Assembly witnessed a chaotic scene, involving multiple deputies in a scuffle. Among those injured was a female lawmaker, who left bloodstains on the steps leading to the speaker’s lectern. Another opposition member also sustained injuries. Physical altercations are not uncommon among Turkish lawmakers.
Ozgur Ozel, leader of the largest opposition party, strongly condemned the violence, describing the situation as “shameful.” He criticized the shift from verbal debate to physical confrontations, remarking, “Instead of exchanging words, fists are flying, and there is blood on the ground. They are hitting women.”
The session had been convened to address the case of Can Atalay, a parliamentary deputy from the Workers’ Party of Turkey (TIP), who was elected while in prison during last year’s elections. Atalay was sentenced to 18 years for his involvement in the 2013 anti-government protests against then-Prime Minister Erdogan. His goal of obtaining parliamentary immunity, which would secure his release from Marmara prison, has been blocked by lower courts, despite favorable rulings from the Constitutional Court.
On August 1, the Constitutional Court declared the decision to strip Atalay of his parliamentary status “null and void.” This judicial crisis has heightened frustration among his supporters, leading opposition parties to call for a special session.
Atalay’s conviction, along with seven others in the Gezi Park case, has drawn widespread criticism from human rights organizations and legal experts. Osman Kavala, the main defendant, received a life sentence without parole, with the European Court of Human Rights calling for his release, citing arbitrary detention and political motivations. The Gezi Park protests, which began in 2013 as an environmental campaign, quickly grew into a larger movement 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 deputies involved in the altercation receiving reprimands from the parliament’s speaker.
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