Probe launched against opposition leader in Turkey

Ankara’s chief public prosecutor launched an investigation into Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chair Özgür Özel over alleged insults against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Turkish Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç similarly denounced Özel’s language, describing it as “an overt attack” on the national will and saying it had “gone beyond a matter of style” into a violation of political norms.

“The CHP leader’s inappropriate language has gone beyond a matter of style and has become something that exceeds political courtesy. Our nation will never allow politics based on slander and defamation, just as it has not until now," Yılmaz Tunç said.

In July, Erdoğan filed a lawsuit against Özel for his remarks targeting him.