President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Friday criticized the release of veteran Kurdish politician and former mayor of Mardin Ahmet Türk from prison due to health problems.
Speaking at a panel discussion in Ankara titled “July 15 and Human Rights” on the eve of the anniversary of a botched coup attempt last July, Erdoğan targeted Türk, who briefly participated in the March of Justice organized by the main opposition party to protest an ongoing purge in Turkey.
“How is he sick?” Erdoğan asked, saying that Türk was able to accompany main opposition leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu during the march that ended last week.
Addressing Minister of Justice Bekir Bozdağ during his speech, Erdoğan said: “Mister Minister, did he [in reference to Türk] get a medical report from a hospital? Was it presented to you? How was he released from prison? He should have been under observation.”
Türk is among several Kurdish politicians who have been targeted in a crackdown on Turkey’s Kurdish opposition party in the wake of the coup attempt.