Turkey's PM slams protest march led by opposition leaderJune 16, 2017 - 18:06 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkey's prime minister on Friday, June 16 slammed a protest march led by the leader of the country's main opposition party following a 25-year prison sentence handed down to a party lawmaker, The Associated Press reports. Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Kemal Kilicdaroglu, as the head of the secular Republican People's Party, should respect the judiciary's decision. "You cannot seek justice on the streets, and Turkey is a state of law ... it's not nice to complain about our country to the whole world by taking to the street." On Wednesday, a Turkish court convicted parliamentarian Enis Berberoglu for revealing state secrets. He was accused of giving journalists footage of a search on Syria-bound trucks, leading to Cumhuriyet newspaper's 2015 coverage suggesting Turkey's intelligence service had smuggled weapons to Islamist rebels in Syria. Kilicdaroglu called the verdict "unjust" and alleged the judiciary was influenced by the government. Along with supporters, he launched a 265-mile (426-kilometer) "march for justice" Thursday from the capital, Ankara, to an Istanbul prison where Berberoglu is being held. "He doesn't need to walk in the holy month of Ramadan, in this heat, he can take the high-speed train. Why is he torturing himself?" the prime minister asked. He said solutions could be pursued in parliament and in court. "I recommend he gives up on this." Earlier Friday, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said Kilicdaroglu was committing a crime by "targeting, defaming and threatening" members of the judiciary. He emphasized that appeal processes were available to contest Berberoglu's verdict. Berberoglu, 61, is the first legislator from the Republican People's Party to be imprisoned since a constitutional amendment stripped parliamentary immunities last year. A dozen pro-Kurdish lawmakers are already in prison for allegedly supporting terror, and more than 50,000 people have been arrested since July for purported links to U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, who Turkey blames for masterminding a bloody coup attempt. Gulen denies it. Berberoglu, along with Cumhuriyet's former editor-in-chief Can Dundar and its Ankara representative Erdem Gul, is also on trial for "aiding a terror organization without being members," referring to Gulen's network. The court has claimed the cleric to be the source of the leaked footage. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Scholz hopes Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty will be signed this year German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hopes that a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be signed this year. Ucom equips four bus stops in Ijevan with free Wi-Fi Ucom now provides free Wi-Fi coverage in smart bus stops in four communities of Ijevan. Armenia, Russia discuss life extension of Metsamor nuclear plant Issues regarding the extension of life of the 2nd power unit of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant were discussed in Yerevan. Armenians stage more campaigns against territorial concessions to Azerbaijan Protesters blocked more roads across Armenia on Friday, April 26 in continuing attempts to scuttle territorial concessions to Azerbaijan. |