Turkish president files lawsuit against opposition leader Over alleged insults

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has filed a compensation claim of one million lira ($24,500) against the main opposition leader, Özgür Özel, over remarks he made earlier this week.

According to Caliber.Az, Erdoğan’s lawyer, Hüseyin Aydın, said on X that the lawsuit was lodged with the Ankara Civil Court of First Instance, accusing the Republican People’s Party (CHP) chairman of making “unbecoming statements and baseless allegations” targeting the president.

CHP Genel Başkanı Özgür Özel'in 13 Ağustos 2025 tarihinde Bayrampaşa'da düzenlenen mitingte yaptığı konuşmada ve aynı gün Marmara Cezaevi çıkışında yaptığı basın açıklamasında;
Sayın Cumhurbaşkanımızı hedef alan yakışıksız ifadeleri ve mesnetsiz ithamları nedeniyle Ankara…

— Hüseyin Aydın (@hsynaydn) August 14, 2025

Aydın cited Özel’s speech at a rally in Bayrampaşa, Istanbul, on August 13, and comments he made later the same day outside Marmara Prison.

The president’s legal team has also filed a criminal complaint with the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office for alleged “insulting the president” – an offence under Turkish law.

Özgür Özel is the chairman of Türkiye’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP).

A former pharmacist by profession, he entered parliament in 2011 and became known for his outspoken criticism of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government. 

Elected CHP leader in November 2023, Özel has positioned himself as a reformist voice aiming to broaden the party’s appeal, while maintaining a confrontational stance against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

By Aghakazim Guliyev