ANKARA, May 24 (Reuters) - Turkish riot police fired tear gas and broke through the gates of the main opposition party's headquarters to evict its ousted leadership on Sunday, a Reuters witness said.An appeals court on Thursday ousted Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Ozgur Ozel, annulling the results of the CHP congress where he was elected in 2023, citing irregularities.The court reinstated in his place former CHP chairman Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who lost to President Tayyip Erdogan in a national election that year.

The ruling marks a major escalation in the legal crackdown on the CHP, which has already been hit by the imprisonment of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, its presidential candidate.

Court ruling removes current CHP leader Ozgur Ozel and reinstates former leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu