Turkish prosecutors probe opposition party leader

Turkish prosecutors launched a probe on Wednesday against the leader of the country's main opposition party for allegedly insulting a senior ally of the government, state television reported.

The case against Ozgur Ozel, leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP), is the latest development in a tense struggle between allies of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his opponents that has sparked mass protests.

Prosecutors opened an investigation into claims that Ozel threatened and insulted Istanbul's chief prosecutor Akin Gurlek, state television channel TRT reported, citing a statement from his office.

Ozel is accused of launching a verbal attack against Gurlek at a rally in Istanbul on Wednesday evening.

A former deputy justice minister, Gurlek has been accused by opponents of going after Erdogan's rivals through a series of cases launched since he was appointed to the post in October.

Chief among these is the case against Istanbul's Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu – Erodgan's leading electoral rival – whose arrest in March on contested corruption charges sparked weeks of angry street protests.

Since Gurlek's appointment, eight CHP district mayors in Istanbul have also been arrested and jailed, most of them on corruption charges which they deny.

The CHP made advances in local elections in 2024 to the cost of Erdogan's conservative Justice and Development Party.

In a post on X on Wednesday evening, Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc denounced "threats against the judiciary," calling Ozel's statements against Gurlek "unacceptable."