Criminal complaint filed against Devlet Bahçeli

The Republican Patriots Party, chaired by lawyer İsmail Hakkı Atal, has filed a criminal complaint against Devlet Bahçeli on the grounds of 'praising terrorism'.

The petition, which requests that Bahçeli be tried for the crimes of "disrupting the unity of the state and the integrity of the country" and "legitimizing or praising the methods of terrorist organizations that involve force, violence, or threats" in relation to his call regarding Abdullah Öcalan, who is currently imprisoned in İmralı, was submitted to the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.

The criminal complaint, as reported by Veryansın Tv, included the following statements:

“The complained suspect Devlet Bahçeli has committed the alleged crimes by saying, 'Let the terrorist leader come and speak at the DEM Party group in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM), let him shout that terrorism has completely ended and the organization has been disbanded. If he shows this determination, the path for legal regulation regarding the right to hope should be opened.'

The complained suspect Devlet Bahçeli is the chairman of a party that is a partner in the ruling coalition in the TBMM. With this statement, he has legitimized the terrorist activities carried out for 40 years by Abdullah Öcalan, the leader of the PKK terrorist organization, who is directly or indirectly responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, in order to destroy the Republic of Turkey."

The petition continues, "The act of the suspect Devlet Bahçeli that is the subject of the crime is not within the scope of legislative immunity specified in Article 83 of the Constitution. According to Article 83/1 of the Constitution, 'Members of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey cannot be held responsible for their votes and statements in the parliamentary proceedings, for the thoughts they express in the Assembly, and, unless a different decision is taken by the Assembly upon the proposal of the Presidential Council in that session, for repeating and revealing these outside the Assembly.' Legislative immunity is an immunity directed at legislative proceedings, and the suspect's action is not a speech within the scope of legislative activity."