Complaint filed against Turkish opposition party leader

KARAYA, Turkey

A Turkish national from the country’s western part filed a criminal complaint against the main opposition party leader for blocking highway by staging a long-march.

The march from Ankara to Istanbul led by Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu caused continuous traffic-jam on D-100 highway, said Yakup Coruh, a 49-year-old civilian from northwestern Sakarya province.

The protest march was launched on June 15 by the CHP leader following the jailing of party lawmaker Enis Berberoglu for 25 years for leaking information on the transportation of arms to Syria.

Kilicdaroglu intends to complete the 450 kilometers (280 miles) walk from the capital to Maltepe prison in Istanbul, where Berberoglu is being held.

Coruh told reporters in front of the Sakarya courthouse that the march caused gridlock during the Eid holiday due to which he had to spend several hours on the road to travel a distance of 100 km (62 miles) from Kaynasli district of Duzce province to the Sakarya province.

He filed the criminal complaint at the Sakarya prosecutor’s office claiming the march "prevents citizens from exercising their public rights".

He also urged immediate termination of the march to relief public from the sufferings.

Reporting by Omer Faruk Cebeci; Writing by Sorwar Alam