Turkish opposition parties slam interior minister over Demirtas theater play rebuke

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Officials from Turkey’s two biggest opposition parties criticized interior minister Suleyman Soylu on Tuesday for lashing out at their attendance of a play based on a newly-released book by Selahattin Demirtas, the imprisoned former leader of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP).

Demirtas has been in detention since November 2016 on terror-related charges, including alleged connections to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a guerilla organisation fighting for greater political and cultural rights for Kurds in Turkey.

A one-off performance based on Demirtas’ latest book release, a collection of short stories called Devran, took place in Istanbul on Saturday. Among those in attendance were his wife Basak Demirtas, lawmakers from the HDP and Republican People’s Party (CHP), and Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and his wife Dilek.

Interior minister Soylu condemned the high-profile figures for their attendance of the event.

"You can't clean the blood on your hands with theater plays," Soylu said in reference to Demirtas in a speech made on Sunday.

"You [Demirtas] can't fool this nation. You will not be able to divide this country," the interior minister continued.  Soylu went on to criticize renowned Turkish actor Kadir Inanir for his attendance.

HDP co-leader Sezai Temelli issued a no holds barred response to Soylu during a meeting of the HDP bloc in Turkey's parliament.

"A [person] who does not know how to write two sentences is attacking Demirtas," Temelli said.

"Demirtas has written another [short story].  Spread the word so it becomes another terrible piece of news to them."

"Why was Mr. Kadir targeted?" Temelli asked. "Just because a play from the beloved Demirtas was performed."

"Someone who attacks Demirtas and Inanir... should first of all learn how to read and write. You [Soylu] who have got nothing to do with art, you should not talk about it as it is not your [area of] expertise," the HDP co-chair said.

Named after a Turkish concept meaning earth, time and fate, Devran is Demirtas’ second short story collection to be written in prison. Demirtas's first short story collection Seher (Dawn) was published in September 2017, also while behind bars.

Turkish authorities accuse HDP lawmakers and members of having links to the PKK, with a number of its former deputies and dozens of local officials jailed for alleged links to the group.

Soylu, known for his hardline stance against the HDP, also held Demirtas responsible on Tuesday for protests staged across many Kurdish cities and towns in southeastern Turkey in October 2014.

Thirty people were killed when the demonstrations, held in response to Ankara not permitting the transfer of weapons to Kurdish fighters during the Islamic State (ISIS) siege on the town of Kobane, northern Syria, turned violent.

“The PKK gave the order. Then-HDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtas and their board members relayed the order to Turkey,” Soylu said about the protests.

The interior minister also slammed Dilek Imamoglu for attending the play – to which her CHP mayor husband hit back.

“My wife is a well-educated Turkish woman,” Imamoglu told reporters in Istanbul. “She is capable of interpreting [the circumstances of] the country and the world.” Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu said on Tuesday.

“I believe women will make the greatest contribution to this country’s unity...I wish men would talk less,” he added.

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