President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Monday filed a lawsuit against the main opposition Republican People’s Party's (CHP) group deputy, Özgür Özel, who called the president a “mere parody of dictator” during a Parliament speech last week.

Erdoğan sued Özel for non-pecuniary damages of TL 250,000 ($32,540) on the grounds that he insulted him.

The petition prepared by Erdoğan’s attorneys stated that: “As it is known, an extensive campaign led by FETÖ (Gülenist Terror Group) to create a perception of 'dictator' about Mr. President was launched both within the country and abroad during the time period before the July 15 coup attempt. The defendant and the party that he is a member of adopted this campaign and spent intensive efforts to create the perception of 'dictator' about Mr. President.”

The terrorist group, led by Fetullah Gülen who currently resides in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, in the U.S., orchestrated the 2016 coup attempt through its military infiltrators. It has faced heightened scrutiny since then. Thousands of people linked to the group were detained or arrested following the coup attempt.