Turkish president sues opposition leader for insult, seeks moral compensation

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has filed a lawsuit against Özgür Özel, leader of the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), accusing him of insult and demanding 500,000 Turkish lira ($12,500) in moral compensation, Erdoğan’s lawyer Hüseyin Aydın has said.

“In response to the baseless accusations, insulting statements, and threats made by CHP Chairman Özgür Özel against our president on July 5, a civil lawsuit seeking 500,000 lira in moral damages has been filed with the Ankara First Instance Civil Court," Caliber.Az quotes the lawyer as saying on X.

CHP Genel Başkanı Özgür Özel'in 5 Temmuz 2025 tarihinde MYK sonrası yaptığı basın açıklamasında,
Sayın Cumhurbaşkanımızı hedef alan mesnetsiz ithamları, hakaretamiz ifadeleri ve tehdit mahiyetindeki sözleri nedeniyle nedeniyle Ankara Asliye Hukuk Mahkemesinde 500 bin TL'lik…

— Hüseyin Aydın (@hsynaydn) July 7, 2025

"Furthermore, a criminal complaint has been lodged with the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, charging Özel with insulting the president and issuing threats, pursuant to Article 310/2 of the Turkish Penal Code,” the lawyer wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

By Khagan Isayev