Opposition warns government about a witch hunt

Turkey’s polarized factions should learn from their mistakes and overcome their antagonism, the main opposition leader said Tuesday, reflecting fragile efforts to reconcile in a shaken country where the opposition has for years accused President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of authoritarianism.

In an interview Tuesday with The Associated Press, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who has previously compared Erdogan to a dictator, said Turkey’s political parties could re-boot tense relationships following the trauma of the July 15 insurrection. However, he warned the government against a “witch hunt” in its crackdown on suspected associates of the coup plotters.

“We all need to engage in self-criticism,” said Kilicdaroglu, head of the opposition Republican People’s Party, which was close to secularist generals who used to control Turkey’s military.