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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) on Thursday launched a fundraising campaign on social media, calling on its supporters to help the party financially survive the upcoming electoral campaign. The move follows a decision by the country’s top court to freeze the HDP’s funds for the elections.
In March 2021, Turkish prosecutor Bekir Sahin filed a lawsuit against the HDP, demanding the closure of the party. The same prosecutor in December asked for HDP’s accounts to be frozen so that it could not receive funds from the government for the upcoming elections in May. He claimed that the pro-Kurdish party could use the money to support the Kurdish rebels - a claim strongly denied by the HDP.
Turkey’s Constitutional Court on January 5 decided to block the HDP’s share of treasury grants paid to parties for electoral campaigns. The party was expected to receive nearly $30 million to finance its campaign.
Hours after the Turkish Constitutional Court unanimously rejected HDP’s request to postpone its closure trial until the presidential and parliamentary elections, the party on Thursday launched a fundraising campaign on social media with the hashtag #HazinemizHalkımız (Our treasure is our people).
The court instead decided to give the HDP an additional 15 days to prepare for its defense against the ruling which blocked its state grants, meaning the party will defend itself on March 14. It is not clear when a final decision regarding the party’s fate will be made.
Pervin Buldan, co-chair of the HDP, said in a video message on Thursday that the decision to freeze the party’s funds is a “political” one. “We consider it important to launch a campaign to help our party stay on its feets,” she said, calling on supporters to donate.
The country is suffering from a financial crisis, making it almost impossible for supporters to donate money to the HDP.
The HDP is accused by some Turkish officials and politicians of being the political wing of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), but the party has denied any organic links to the group. Since the PKK is considered a terrorist organization by Ankara, scores of HDP supporters, members and officials have been arrested on terror-related charges.
PKK is an armed group struggling for the increased rights of Kurds in Turkey.
The HDP was formed in 2012 by members of the Democratic Regions Party (DBP). Both parties consider themselves pro-Kurdish, and are still in alliance. The HDP is seen as the successor of Democratic Society Party (DTP) which was founded in 2005 but closed by the Turkish Constitutional Court in 2009 for allegedly trying to divide Turkey.
Kurdish-focused parties like the Democratic People’s Party (DEHAP) and People’s Democracy Party (HADEP) have also been banned for alleged links to the PKK.
The HDP received over 10 percent of the votes in the previous parliamentary elections.
Turkey’s upcoming elections are expected to take place in mid-May, determining the two-decade rule of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s party.
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