Article 83 of the Constitution states that “An MP who is alleged to have committed a crime before or after the election cannot be held, interrogated, arrested or tried without the decision of the Parliament.”
The 3rd Criminal Chamber of the Court of Cassation unanimously rejected the release request of the lawyers of Can Atalay, a lawyer arrested for Gezi protests who was not released from prison despite being elected as Hatay MP from the Workers’ Party of Turkey (TİP) in the May 14 elections.
Atalay’s lawyer Deniz Ozen said his client should be released today. “If the judges of the 3rd Chamber of the Court of Cassation want to show that Turkey is still a state of law, they should immediately order the release of Can Atalay,” Ozen said.
Atalay, sentenced to 18 years in prison last year as part of the Gezi Trial, was elected Hatay MP from the Workers’ Party of Turkey (TİP) in the May 14 elections.
Article 83 of the Constitution states that “An MP who is alleged to have committed a crime before or after the election cannot be held, interrogated, arrested or tried without the decision of the Parliament.”
Atalay should have been released under this article, but he has not been released for nearly two months.
The Court of Cassation’s decision is a blow to Atalay and his supporters, who have been calling for his release since he was elected to Parliament.
Gerçek News