Abdulkadir Selvi responds to 'Osman Kavala' criticism! 'Are you more nationalist than Türkeş's son...'

Hürriyet columnist Abdulkadir Selvi, known for his proximity to the government, sparked reactions within the AKP and the Presidential Palace after writing in a column—penned before the meeting between AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and CHP Chairman Özgür Özel—that a retrial could be held for Gezi Park trial convicts and Osman Kavala.

Selvi responded to the criticism directed at him.

Stating that the issue of businessman Osman Kavala, who has been held in prison for over six years, is a matter for Turkey, Selvi wrote: "A Turkey that does not implement ECHR rulings, a Turkey that does not comply with Constitutional Court rulings, a Turkey facing the threat of sanctions by the Council of Europe... Well, who does this benefit? Our Council of Europe membership was only suspended during the September 12 coup. What benefit does it provide for Turkey to be sanctioned by the Council of Europe because of Osman Kavala? How does it affect Turkey's image?"

Responding to the criticism from within the AKP, Selvi recalled the response of Ankara MP Tuğrul Türkeş and stated: "Are you more nationalist than Tuğrul Türkeş, the son of Alparslan Türkeş, the leader of Turkish nationalism? I believe that the ground for dialogue that Erdoğan and Özgür Özel are trying to build is in Turkey's favor. I see that a retrial of the Gezi convicts, especially Osman Kavala, would positively affect the climate in Turkey and our image abroad."

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