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Turkey
A woman holds a picture of jailed former HDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtas, and the EU logo. File photo: Ozan Kose/AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The European Parliament raised concern on Tuesday over Turkey's repression of opposition parties, especially the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), after an indictment seeking the party's dissolution was upheld by the country's Constitutional Court.
"It's our concern, the situation of the Peoples' Democratic Party, the HDP, and the situation they have been facing since 2016, with their co-leader Demirtas remaining in prison despite two European courts ruling in favour of his release," European Union Foreign Affairs chief Josep Borrell said in a plenary session.
Borrell called on Turkey to "fully respect pro-democratic values, the rule of law, and the freedom of political association."
The Turkish Constitutional Court accepted an indictment requesting the closure of the HDP in late June.
The HDP has been under pressure for years, accused of being the political wing of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a charge the party denies. Members of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) have called for the party's closure.
Hundreds of HDP members and supporters are under investigation or in jail, including Selahattin Demirtas, the HDP's former leader, along with his co-chair Figen Yuksekdag.
Former HDP lawmaker Omer Faruk Gergergioglu was released from jail on Tuesday following a constitutional court ruling saying his rights had been violated, his family has said. HDP members gathered outside the prison he was being held in on Monday to protest his delayed release.
Ankara needs to "very rapidly" negotiate changes in its attitudes with civil society and opposition parties, MP Gheorghe Vlad Nistor said on behalf of the European Peoples' Party (EPP).
The murder of HDP member Deniz Poyraz who was shot dead in Izmir in June, was also discussed during the session. The EU reaffirmed that the perpetrators must be brought to justice.
"Turkey can't join the EU," said MEP Hilde Vautmans, saying the country lacks "true democracy" when it comes to the fight with its political opponents.
Ankara has long been bidding for EU membership.
Another MEP, Ozlem Demirel, stated that Turkey's behavior is “eroding the values of the EU."
EU-Turkey relations are at a "historic low point," according to a May report from the European Parliament.
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