A deputy for the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) in Turkey accused another CHP deputy of voicing “foolish” allegations about Turkish military’s use of chemical weapons in its ongoing military campaign in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), and of defaming the Turkish Armed Forces.
CHP deputy Sezgin Tanrikulu, a lawyer by profession, a human rights activist and former chair of the bar association of the Kurdish-majority city of Diyarbakir, earlier said about chemical warfare allegations on 20 October:
“I’ve watched a video footage concerning allegations of use of chemical weapons. The use of chemical weapons constitutes a crime against humanity. I will submit a parliamentary question tomorrow for an investigation to be launched to determine whether or not this footage has authenticity.”
Gursel Erol, also a deputy for the CHP, said in a live TV broadcast on Monday:
“Under no circumstance and in no condition may the actions of the armed forces in its anti-terror operations abroad or at home be questioned and criticized. Never! I do not believe this is right, and I think such criticism is irresponsible.”
He continued:
“I am strictly against targeting of our armed forces through such accusations, and I am against such statements made by those who do not know anything about the past, the history and the roots of the Republican People’s Party. I believe that the situation regarding this friend of ours, who made those statements, will be discussed in the meeting of our executive council tomorrow.”
Saying that the allegations made by Tanrikulu were “foolish” and “targeted the armed forces,” Erol asked: “While we are about to enter an election campaign, why do such things concern you? Are you the one who should be making such statements?”
Source: Gerçek News
