ANKARA, Turkey — The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Turkey has stepped up efforts to shut down the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) by mass-detention of senior members and affiliates, a top HDP official warned Sunday.
Osman Baydemir also said his party will continue to campaign for a “No” vote in next month’s referendum on the country’s constitution and urged party supporters to “make their voices heard” on April 16 as Turkey votes on crucial constitutional amendments.
“As HDP leadership we need to inform the public of recent events. The AKP government has, for some time now, intensified efforts to stop our activities. There are intensified efforts to shut down the HDP,” Baydemir, who is also the spokesperson of the party, told a gathering during a press conference in Ankara.
“The AKP government which sees itself above the law, is trying to create an unwanted environment through crackdown, political tactics and disinformation, in order to scapegoat our party and end its activities,” Baydemir said.
Several thousand people have been arrested since the failed July coup last year, many of them for allegedly supporting the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), or the Islamist Gulen Movement which Ankara has accused of masterminding the attempted coup.
According to Baydemir, around 10,000 HDP supporters including mayors and city officials associated with the HDP have been arrested, although some of the detainees have been released with or without bails.
An HDP lawmaker was sentenced last week to 4 years and 8 months in prison for what the court ruled as “propagation for an outlawed party,” apparently referring to the PKK. The court said lawmaker Nursel Aydogan had propagated for the PKK in her 2011 rally in Diyarbakir.
Thirteen HDP lawmakers, including the party co-leaders and their deputies, are currently in jail, some of them since October last year, awaiting court procedures.
Osman Baydemir also said his party will continue to campaign for a “No” vote in next month’s referendum on the country’s constitution and urged party supporters to “make their voices heard” on April 16 as Turkey votes on crucial constitutional amendments.
“As HDP leadership we need to inform the public of recent events. The AKP government has, for some time now, intensified efforts to stop our activities. There are intensified efforts to shut down the HDP,” Baydemir, who is also the spokesperson of the party, told a gathering during a press conference in Ankara.
“The AKP government which sees itself above the law, is trying to create an unwanted environment through crackdown, political tactics and disinformation, in order to scapegoat our party and end its activities,” Baydemir said.
Several thousand people have been arrested since the failed July coup last year, many of them for allegedly supporting the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), or the Islamist Gulen Movement which Ankara has accused of masterminding the attempted coup.
According to Baydemir, around 10,000 HDP supporters including mayors and city officials associated with the HDP have been arrested, although some of the detainees have been released with or without bails.
An HDP lawmaker was sentenced last week to 4 years and 8 months in prison for what the court ruled as “propagation for an outlawed party,” apparently referring to the PKK. The court said lawmaker Nursel Aydogan had propagated for the PKK in her 2011 rally in Diyarbakir.
Thirteen HDP lawmakers, including the party co-leaders and their deputies, are currently in jail, some of them since October last year, awaiting court procedures.
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