“You have unleashed a malicious and reckless individual upon İstanbul,” Özgür Özel, leader of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), said, during a parliamentary group meeting in Ankara on Tuesday, referring to the government’s appointment of İstanbul’s Chief Prosecutor Akın Gürlek, and directly targeting the prosecutor for his controversial actions.
Özel alleged that Gürlek’s appointment had been politically motivated and described his track record as a series of judicial overreaches aimed at silencing critics and opposition figures. Highlighting Gürlek’s role in several high-profile cases, Özel claimed, “He has been instrumental in lodging politically motivated charges against figures like Canan Kaftancıoğlu [CHP’s Istanbul branch chair], imprisoning elected representatives like Enis Berberoğlu [former CHP MP] and Selahattin Demirtaş [former co-chair of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, HDP], and keeping Can Atalay [MP for Worker’s Party of Turkey, TİP] behind bars despite his election to parliament.”
The opposition leader further criticised Gürlek’s prosecution of journalists, lawyers and activists, including Selçuk Kozağaçlı, a prominent lawyer in the Gezi protests and Soma mine disaster cases, and Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party MP Sırrı Süreyya Önder. He condemned what he described as a systematic abuse of power, stating, “You have acted as a mobile guillotine, executing justice wherever we placed you, destroying people’s faith in fairness and sentencing them without mercy.”
Özel also accused Gürlek of serving political interests rather than the principles of justice. “He transitioned from being a political appointee as a deputy minister to being Istanbul’s chief prosecutor. His career has been shaped by political manoeuvring rather than merit or justice,” Özel said, claiming that Gürlek’s rapid ascent was driven by his willingness to carry out partisan tasks.
Since taking office on 9 October, Gürlek has reportedly initiated numerous high-profile investigations. Özel outlined a timeline of allegedly politically motivated cases, including investigations against opposition figures such as İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, CHP Youth Wing leader Cem Aydın, and several journalists and activists. He criticised the use of legal mechanisms to target individuals associated with the CHP and other dissenting voices. “This is a deliberate campaign to stifle the opposition,” Özel stressed.
The criticism also extended to the judiciary’s broader role under the current government. Özel accused the administration of eroding the separation of powers, saying, “When judges and prosecutors enter politics, they lose their independence. Gürlek has become a tool of political oppression.”
As the ruling government faces growing scrutiny over its influence on the judiciary, Özel’s remarks highlight the deepening divide between Turkey’s opposition and its leadership. Gürlek has not responded to the accusations.
