Turkish Workers Party TİP member of parliament, actor Barış Atay criticized the Minister of Interior for release of an alleged rapist from prison as the child who was subjected to the sexual assault ended her life. Following this criticism, TİP deputy Atay became the target of the Minister of Interior Soylu. Atay was violently assaulted after getting targeted.

Turkish Workers Party deputy Barış Atay criticized the release of Musa Orhan who was arrested last week for sexual assault, abduction of a 17 year old child who later ended her life in her second attempt. In his statement, Atay accused Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu of protecting a rapist, "this should be reminded to you till the end of your days and we will show efforts for you not to forget."

TUG OF WAR BETWEEN THE MINISTER AND MP

Minister of Interior Soylu responded to Atay's criticism "I cannot be named a rapist-protector but you do look like a rapist yourself, you remnant of PKK and DHKP-C who got elected into the parliament under HDP upon PKK orders." Atay then again responded to the minister's targeting, "it is a minister who cannot even properly resign. He shall know his place. He is a bureaucrat who was appointed to that seat and his fate lies in between the two lips of one-man.

VIOLENT ASSAULT AGAINST MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT

Following the Minister of Interior Soylu's targeting, TİP deputy Barış Atay was violently assaulted at 1.00 am by unidentified men. According to the statements, there were four assailants who ambushed Atay on his walking path in Istanbul's Kadıköy at the Caferağa district at Dalga Street. During the testimony Atay gave at Numune Hospital, he said "the real perpetrator of this assault is the Minister of Interior who targets me instead of dealing with all the complaints concerning a rapist being let free from prison." According to the statement, Atay was beaten by four people who ran from behind him and his friend on Dalga Street in Kadıköy, a popular and usually crowded part of the city. Atay says, "they jumped from behind me and started punching including my face. They ran away only when my friend called the police but they were shouting 'traitor' as they kept hitting and swearing. I cannot remember how they looked like as it was dark but I filed criminal complaint." In an additional statement Atay also announced "I have filed multiple criminal complaints since May 1 action in front of DISK headquarters, due to receiving death threats. One of those complaints was finalized with a 'lack of grounds for legal action' decision. Following this a sabotage targeted the car I drive, and I filed a complaint again. Instead of these complaints the minister of interior Soylu who focused on the criticism over releasing a rapist from prison, targeted me."   Atay's lawyer Onur Güneş also made a statement, "the assault took place 50 meters from the venue they were sitting at. Seeing a member of parliament and deciding to gang up on him for an assault in this 50 meter walking distance is against the normal pace of life. Either they were following him or they were notified and given orders. This shall be revealed through the GSM phone tower signal logs."

WHERE WERE WE?

Following his discharge from hospital after getting assaulted in Istanbul's Kadıköy, TİP deputy Barış Atay again tagged Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu on twitter asking "where were we?". On the same day as Barış Atay was assaulted another opposition member of parliament was kicked by the police in Kırşehir. Parliamentary Speaker Mustafa Şentop of the governing AKP condemned the attack against TİP deputy Barış Atay, "all necessary steps are being taken to illuminate the incident and throughly investigate this assault."