Ruling AK Party MP Turkes to visit jailed Kavala in Gezi Park uprising case

Tugrul Turkes, an Ankara Member of Parliament representing Türkiye at the Council of Europe, announced his intention to visit businessman Osman Kavala, who is detained in connection with the Gezi Park protests.

“This will be my first visit to see Osman Kavala. This is what true nationalism and patriotism means to me. This is what I was taught,” Turkes said.

Addressing the lengthy legal process in Türkiye, Turkes emphasized, “Osman Kavala is a symbol of long trial periods. The issue is not just about Kavala. When you seek money, you can’t buy at the real price. You end up paying more interest. Why? Because certain auditing institutions look at the state of law in Türkiye, and you face more interest. This extra interest burdens the national budget. We need to get rid of this. If you make trials reasonable and correct the law, the economy will also improve.”

Turkes added, “The two main issues facing Türkiye are the law and economy. If we can solve these, we will have solved Türkiye’s future problems.”

Turkes also mentioned that he has requested permission from Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc to visit Kavala, stating, “I am the son of a father who spent seven years of his life, one-tenth of his life, in prison.”

Tugrul Turkes, son of Alparslan Turkes, the founder of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), began his political career in MHP and later joined the AK Party. He previously served as Deputy Prime Minister and currently serves as a Member of Parliament from Ankara for the AK Party.