Turkish police have used smoke and water cannons at the headquarters of Turkey's main opposition party - the Republican People's Party (CHP) - in Ankara.
The reason for the use of force was to enter the building and force former CHP chairman Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who was returned to his office by a court decision, back into his office, Turkish media reported. The CHP headquarters had been blocked for several days by supporters of the party's former chairman Özgür Özel.
On May 21, the Ankara Court of Appeals ruled to cancel the party's 38th congress in 2023 and as a result - the removal of the current party chairman Özgür Özel from office and the reinstatement of the previous leader of the PKK, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. The decision was based on the fact that the vote to elect the leadership was tainted by bribes and promises of other benefits to the delegates. The PKK appealed the measure to the High Election Board, the Supreme Court of Cassation and the Ankara Court of Appeal. The Court of Appeal and the High Election Board rejected the PKK's appeal.
Özel's people have been barricading themselves in the headquarters for several days with armchairs, doors and other improvised objects, local media reported. However, police broke in through side entrances to the headquarters today, using smoke bombs and tear gas to disperse the supporters of the current party leader. According to media reports, thick smoke was rising from the building, and police used brute force to disperse Özel's supporters.
Meanwhile, Özgür Özel reported in the Cumhuriyet newspaper that the police were attacking "very strongly and cruelly." "I don't know how long we can hold out, but we will resist as long as we have the strength," he said. Before the police entered the building, two representatives from each of the two camps in the PKK - supporters of the previous and the restored leadership, respectively - met with Turkish Interior Minister Murat Çiftçi, but no solution was reached. A planned meeting between Kılıçdaroğlu and Özel was also canceled, and the tension in front of the PKK headquarters continues.
According to the "Associated Press" police stormed the PKK party headquarters, using tear gas and rubber bullets. According to Turkish media reports cited by the agency, the police presence around the building has been gradually increasing since the morning, and Kılıçdaroğlu's lawyer has sent a request to the Ankara police to help evacuate the headquarters, Nahide Deniz reports specifically for BTA. The Ankara governor issued an official statement approving this request.