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A Turkish court sentenced Selcuk Tengioglu to 12 months in prison for assaulting the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Ozgur Ozel following a memorial ceremony in Istanbul, with the 66-year-old defendant released pending appeal.
The Istanbul 44th Criminal Court convicted Tengioglu of "intentional injury due to public duty" after he slapped Ozel outside the Ataturk Cultural Center (AKM) on May 4 following a memorial service for Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM) Istanbul MP Sirri Sureyya Onder.
The judge declined to apply discretionary mitigation in sentencing, though he ordered the defendant's release from custody.
According to the indictment, Tengioglu left an apartment in Taksim around 8:30 a.m. on May 4, had breakfast at a nearby hotel, then waited approximately two-and-a-half to three hours outside AKM.
He approached Ozel as the CHP leader was leaving the ceremony and slapped him in the face.
During the trial, Tengioglu offered a brief defense: "There is much to say, but I don't want to repeat it."
When asked for his final statement, the defendant claimed he was remorseful.
Ozel's attorney, Sedat Aslantas, acknowledged his client did not suffer serious injury but argued the attack posed a major threat to public peace and order.
He requested maximum sentencing and continuation of detention.
"While there was no serious injury to my client, this attack greatly endangered public peace and order," Aslantas stated.
The prosecutor requested a sentence between nine months and two years, three months for "intentional injury due to public duty."
The Forensic Medicine Institute report indicated Ozel's injuries could be treated with simple medical intervention.
Investigations found no connections between Tengioglu and any criminal or terrorist organizations.
Prosecutors examined his bank transactions and five years of phone records, interviewed all individuals he contacted or mentioned in testimony, and analyzed intelligence reports and financial data.
"The defendant said he saw Ozel and carried out the action in a moment of anger," according to the indictment summary.
The original indictment had sought between two years, three months, and four years, six months imprisonment.
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