The leader of the Turkish Nationalist Movement Party launched an attack on President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after the release of American priest Andrew Branson, who was detained in Turkey, and returned to the United States over the weekend.
"You can not trust a president who has landed in Turkey to a US priest," said Dulat Bhagli, who supported Erdogan in the referendum and the recent elections, according to the Arabic-language daily Zaman.
The website "Zaman" Bahjali expressed his anger at the release of the priest, saying: "The decision caused the harm to national sentiment."
"The MHP certainly respects the decisions of the judiciary, but the decision to release Bishop Branson has hurt national sentiment," Bajali said.
"The stage that we have reached, with the release of Branson as a result of political pressure and provocation, despite his proven involvement in anti-Turkish activities and a relationship with terrorist organizations, is very unfortunate," he said.
"The priest was released at the end of a dark phase, which can not be approved by anyone with a conscience."
Bhagli believes that the United States should have handed over to Turkey the preacher Fathallah Gulen or the deputy director-general of the Bank of Creation involved in the corruption of international Hakan Attila, in exchange for the release of Pastor Branson, which did not happen.
The Turkish president has repeatedly asked the United States to extradite Gulen to the US pastor, without any response from the US administration.
Erdogan had said earlier that he would not release "the spy Rev. Branson as long as he remained in office as president."
But on Friday, the Turkish judiciary sentenced Branson to three years and a month and 15 days suspended, and lifted the decision to stay under house arrest and travel ban.
While the English version of the Turkish newspaper "Hurriyet" criticized the leader of the National Movement Party "use of secret witnesses" in the cases, after the release of Branson.
Bhagli described the use of clandestine witnesses in legal cases as the "main obstacle" to an independent and impartial judiciary.
Hurriyet referred to what she called "violent criticism" of Bhagli for the release of Branson, who was released after secret witnesses changed their testimony, even though he is accused of spying and helping terrorists.
Before Friday's verdict, witnesses in the town of Aliaga, on Turkey's west coast, said previous testimonies attributed to them against Pastor Branson were inaccurate.
