Turkish Parliament rejects opposition’s call for general discussion on imprisoned MP Atalay

In the Turkish Parliament, the opposition’s proposal for a general discussion on the Constitutional Court’s decision regarding Can Atalay, a Gezi case convict elected as a deputy from Hatay, was rejected by a majority vote.

The proposal to hold a general discussion in the General Assembly of the Turkish Parliament about the Constitutional Court’s decision on Can Atalay’s dismissal from parliamentary office was defeated by a majority vote.

What happened?

An extraordinary session called by opposition MPs quickly escalated into chaos when Sik took the floor, leading to a heated exchange that ended in a physical altercation. Atalay, who had been sentenced to 18 years in prison by the Istanbul 13th High Criminal Court for “aiding an attempt to overthrow the Government of the Republic of Türkiye,” saw his conviction upheld by the Court of Appeal and confirmed by the Supreme Court, despite ongoing appeals.

Following the Supreme Court’s ruling, Atalay was disqualified as an MP, which reduced TIP’s seats in Parliament from four to three. However, the Constitutional Court later declared the decision to strip Atalay of his parliamentary seat as “null and void.”