Turkish court dissolves opposition leadership

Turkish riot police invaded the headquarters of the Republican People’s Party to subdue supporters of Özgür Özel. Özel led the party until last Thursday when a Turkish court ruled that his election had irregularities, and he was, therefore, illegitimate. Such a direct intervention by the courts, which are heavily influenced by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, is unprecedented, but this is the natural extension of Erdoğan’s heavy-handed regime.