“In January, he walked into the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality and said, ‘My cellmates have received orders. There will be an assassination attempt on İmamoğlu,’” Turkey’s main opposition leader Özgür Özel declared during his party’s parliamentary group meeting on Tuesday in Ankara, accusing authorities of ignoring a serious threat.
The Republican People’s Party (CHP) chairman was referring to Selçuk Tengioğlu, the same man who attacked him on Saturday at the funeral of late MP Sırrı Süreyya Önder. Özel said Tengioğlu had not only physically assaulted him, but had previously issued a chilling warning that İstanbul’s popular mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, could be targeted.
The attack has sparked debate over political violence in Turkey and the government’s handling of threats against opposition figures. Özel said the incident must be seen as a broader message. “The attack on me was an open letter to all of us — a warning,” he said. “They sent a child murderer to do this. If he could kill his own child, what wouldn’t he do to me?”
Özel, who began his speech by honouring the memory of leftist youth leaders Deniz Gezmiş, Hüseyin İnan and Yusuf Aslan on the anniversary of their 1972 execution, shifted focus to what he called “a calculated act of intimidation”.
He said the state now had a choice: “The Justice and Development Party (AKP) government, in its 23rd year in power, faces a test. If a full investigation is launched that follows every link, no problem. But if the trail is blocked, then I have every right to speak out.”
Özel also revealed a poignant political secret. He said the late MP Önder — a peace advocate from the pro-Kurdish movement — had asked him to watch the recent film Cumhuriyet Şarkısı. “He said, ‘I want to give you a burden before I die — I wrote the script for that film.’ He hid it so others involved wouldn’t suffer. That was the kind of man he was,” Özel said.
Özel said he had intended to publicly reveal Önder’s role in the film on the day of his funeral, but the attack against him took over the national agenda. “What hurts me is not the attacker. It’s that on a day meant to honour peace and Önder’s life, we had to talk about violence.”
With escalating political tension ahead of upcoming local elections, Özel said his party would not be silenced. “We will respond. Tomorrow, we are in Beyazıt. Saturday, Van [Wan]. On 19 May, İzmir. That is our answer,” he said. “If you have the courage, send someone prepared.”
Özel concluded by challenging the government to break from what he called “a malicious mindset” and join the democratic front. “There is still time. Either use this chance or admit you stand with those who send child murderers.”
