Can Atalay, an opposition member of parliament currently serving a prison sentence related to the Gezi Park case, has launched a 24-hour hunger strike. This protest coincides with the commencement of the new legislative session in Turkey. Atalay, who was elected to represent Hatay in 2023, is demanding the restoration of his parliamentary mandate and the enforcement of Constitutional Court rulings that declared his rights were violated. Although the top court invalidated the January 2024 decision to strip him of his legislative status, lower courts have consistently refused to comply with these directives. Atalay maintains that he should be actively participating in parliamentary proceedings rather than remaining incarcerated, highlighting a significant ongoing judicial dispute regarding the authority of the Constitutional Court's decisions within the Turkish legal system.
Source : Turkish Minute
