Kati Piri, the European Parliament’s rapporteur for Turkey, on Thursday said the sentencing and imprisonment of main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) İstanbul deputy Enis Berberoğlu is shocking and a new low point for Turkey.
In a written statement on Thursday, Piri said “The verdict against CHP MP Enis Berberoğlu is shocking and is an example of the current flawed rule of law in Turkey; a well respected, democratically elected parliamentarian can get a 25-year long prison sentence without a fair trial.”
Piri, a member of the S&P Group, a sister party of the CHP, underlined that her party strongly condemns the “politically motivated arrest” of Berberoğlu. “These verdicts are meant as warning signals that no one can escape from prosecution. They are meant to increase fear in society with those who are not in line with the government’s policies,” she added.
Conveying the S&P’s support for CHP Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu on his “March for Justice” from Ankara to İstanbul for Berberoğlu’s immediate release, Piri said: “We continue to stand in solidarity with all those in Turkey who believe in the values of a liberal democracy and respect for the rule of law; many of whom are now being targeted and persecuted.”
Berberoğlu was arrested on Wednesday immediately after he was handed down a prison sentence of 25 years for providing information for a report on National Intelligence Organization (MİT) trucks transporting weapons to jihadists in Syria.