Turkey's main opposition party leader on Tuesday accused President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of influencing the judiciary on Tuesday of meddling in the judiciary and called him a "dictator" in an unusual parliamentary group speech delivered on the sixth day of his "walk for justice".
"I will always be on the side of justice. If someone tells me my rights are a favour, I will speak of his dictatorship. I say you are a dictator," Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said in a speech after stopping at a national park near Çamlıdere, on the outskirts of Ankara.
Every Tuesday the party leaders address their lawmakers in parliament in Ankara.
Kılıçdaroğlu called the march after CHP lawmaker Enis Berberoğlu was sentenced to 25 years in jail for leaking Turkish government's arms-smuggling to jihadists in Syria.
At the weekend, Erdoğan appeared to warn Kılıçdaroğlu and said, "You should not be surprised if you receive an invitation from the judiciary."
Kılıçdaroğlu responded on Tuesday by accusing the president of attempting to influence the judiciary. "If I prove you and your government gave instructions to the courts, will you resign from your role as an honest and honourable person? I give my word as well. I will leave politics if I do not prove (these claims). Because I am an honest and honourable person," Kılıçdaroğlu said.
