The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has criticized remarks made in the final declaration of the Justice Assembly organized by the main opposition People's Republican Party (CHP) at the historic site of the Battle of Gallipoli, saying the remarks aim to overshadow the trials of members of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ)."It is apparent that the main goal of the final declaration [of the Justice Assembly] is to convey the message that ‘there is no rule of law in Turkey,' while trying to annul the ongoing FETÖ trials in the international arena amid attempts to undermine the success of the AK Party government in the areas of justice, the economy, religious freedom, education, the protection of multiculturalism and media diversity," AK Party spokesman Mahir Ünal said in a statement released yesterday.

CHP Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu organized a "Justice Assembly" in the wake of his "Justice March" in June which was organized to protest the prosecution of CHP Deputy Enis Berberoğlu, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison for leaking state secrets to the press. The CHP's Justice Assembly took place between Aug. 26 and Aug. 30 and ended with a final declaration read by the CHP leader.

"With statements, such as, ‘there is no rule of law in Turkey and no justice in the courts' and allegations that ‘judges are influenced by the government,' there is an ongoing attempt to disregard domestic legal order. In this way, [the CHP] is trying to make it possible for FETÖ members to directly apply to the European Court of Human Rights [ECtHR]. Similarly, these statements will be used and served to the ECtHR as a means to overrule the decisions made by the [Turkish] courts," Ünal added.

The AK Party spokesman also criticized the CHP leader for interfering with the state's justice system, which he said goes against the Turkish Constitution.

Kılıçdaroğlu was criticized by both the government and opposition politicians during his "Justice March" from Ankara to Istanbul for calling on the masses to take to the streets in protest of the government, playing what some referred to as a "dangerous game."

In June, CHP Deputy Berberoğlu was sentenced to 25 years in prison for leaking secret documents to the press in the controversial National Intelligence Organization (MİT) trucks' case. The deputy was arrested in an Istanbul courthouse after a hearing.