Following Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s strong verbal attack on former President Abdullah Gül for his call on the government to revise a new state of emergency decree that gives immunity to civilians who take part in thwarting coups and terror incidents, a ruling party deputy called Gül a “political dog of the putschists.”
Justice And Development Party (AKP) deputy Mehmet Metiner in a column published in the pro-Erdogan Star daily on Sunday strongly criticized people who had reacted adversely to the new state of emergency decree issued on Dec. 24.
“Let the ‘political dogs’ of the putschist terrorists continue barking. We will never be among those who give a rose [Gül in Turkish] to putschist terrorists!” Metiner said.
Describing people who criticize the decree as members of “an evil front” acting under the guise of democracy, justice and law, Metiner said those who have “cunningness and ambiguity” in their heads claim that there is ambiguity in the decree.
According to Article 121 of decree No. 696, which was released on Dec. 24, regardless of an official title or duties or the lack thereof, people who played a role in the suppression of a failed coup attempt on July 15, 2016 and subsequent events and terrorist activities will be exempt from criminal liability.
“The ambiguity that does not comply with legal parlance in the text of state of emergency decree No. 696, which I think was released to protect the hero citizens who took to the streets to resist a traitorous coup attempt on July 15, is worrisome in terms of a state of law,” former President Gül said in a tweet last week, adding: “I hope to see its revision in order to avoid giving an opportunity to events and developments that could sadden all of us.”
Lambasting Gül in a speech on Saturday, Erdoğan said: “Are not we friends for a common cause? How could you embark on the boat of Kemal [the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu]? Shame on you!”
Erdoğan on Sunday called Gül a “troublemaker.”
Erdoğan’s reprimand was also considered to be targeting Bülent Arınç, one of the founders of the AKP, who retweeted Gül’s tweet.
