MHP reacts to Abdulkadir Selvi's 'Osman Kavala' articles!

Hürriyet columnist Abdulkadir Selvi, known for his proximity to the government, wrote in an article 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, which has stirred up the MHP following the AKP and the Presidential Palace.

MHP Deputy Chairman Feti Yıldız targeted Selvi without mentioning his name.

Claiming that pressure is being applied to the judiciary, Yıldız stated, "Regarding a case currently being heard, no questions can be asked, no discussions can be held, and no statements can be made in the Legislative Assembly concerning the exercise of judicial power. It is a crime to give orders to, exert pressure on, or influence those performing judicial duties for or against the defendants, participants, or victims in a case, or to attempt to influence those performing judicial duties in any way." he said.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Hürriyet newspaper columnist Abdulkadir Selvi, known for his proximity to the government, had written articles regarding the imprisonment of businessman Osman Kavala before the meeting between CHP leader Özgür Özel and President Erdoğan last week.

Pointing out that Turkey's membership in the Council of Europe is in jeopardy due to the Gezi Park trial and Kavala's continued imprisonment despite ECHR rulings, Selvi had drawn attention to the possibility of a retrial.

Selvi had called for a retrial, arguing that the government, which the individuals sentenced in the Gezi Park trial were accused of "attempting to overthrow," had already been abolished with the transition to the new system, and therefore, "there remains a crime without a victim."

"In accordance with the presumption of innocence, if any doubt arises regarding an issue for which the defendant is to be punished in a criminal case, it must be evaluated in favor of the defendant. Under the principle that the defendant benefits from doubt, suspicious and not fully clarified allegations should be interpreted in favor of the defendant, and the conviction decision should be re-evaluated."

These calls by Selvi, one of the journalists closest to the AKP, drew a reaction from the MHP.

In his column today, Selvi responded to the reactions by recalling similar statements made by Tuğrul Türkeş, the son of Alpaslan Türkeş and an AKP Ankara MP, regarding Osman Kavala, and asked the MHP members, "Are you more nationalist than him?"

News Source: 12punto