Istanbul – President Recep Erdogan, on Thursday sued a lawmaker from Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), for 1 million liras (or 165,000 dollars) over his sharp criticism of the government’s Syria policy, state news agency Anadolu reports.
The lawsuit against CHP group Deputy Chairman Engin Ozkoc, comes over an attack on the personal rights of the president.
Ozkoc is also accused of provoking the public.
At a press conference in parliament on Wednesday, Ozkoc referred to the president, without naming him, as dishonourable and a traitor.
Ozkoc was responding to the same words Erdogan used indirectly against CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu at his party group meeting.
Erdogan targeted Kilicdaroglu for questioning Turkey’s military offensive in Syria.
Ozkoc and Kilicdaroglu separately accused Erdogan of failing to inform lawmakers about the background of the killing of dozens of Turkish soldiers in an airstrike Syria’s Idlib.
Turkey lost more than 50 troops in Idlib over the past one month amid fierce clashes with Russia-backed Syrian Government forces.
Ankara then launched a new military operation aimed at targeting Syrian forces.
(dpa/NAN)