ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Green Left Party in a statement on Friday condemned recent raids and arrests of their members and associates and said they will not be deterred ahead of next month’s presidential and parliamentary elections.
“Those who think that they can prevent us with detentions, hostage-taking operations, should know that we will not take a step back from our struggle,” reads the statement from Green Left Party, vowing to unseat the “one-man regime,” alluding to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Turkish authorities detained over 120 pro-Kurdish lawyers, journalists, activists and politicians, including a senior official of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) in raids early Tuesday morning, less than three weeks ahead of critical elections.
Signed by the co-spokespersons of the party, Green Left’s statement claimed that the order for the detentions came from the presidential palace. “Until now, 30 of our friends have been arrested, and statements are being taken from the others,” it said.
Tuesday's wave of arrests continued on Wednesday when Green Left parliamentary candidate Ayten Donmez was detained on charges that include “membership in a military terrorist group.”
Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu claimed on Tuesday that Green Left candidates include individuals from the mountain [Qandil], implying that they have ties to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
The Brussel-based International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), in a statement with 26 other human rights and civil society organisations, called on Turkish authorities to stop “systematic harassment and intimidation” of Kurdish journalists, media workers, media outlets, the lawyers that defend them, and Kurdish political party officials.
IFJ also called on the authorities to immediately give all those detained access to legal counsel and to disclose full details of any charges brought against them.
Green Left Party is an umbrella under which the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) will participate in the May 2023 elections. HDP formed the party as a precautionary measure as they are facing a court case seeking to shut them down.
HDP has been accused for years of having ties with the PKK, an armed group struggling for Kurdish rights in Turkey and named a terrorist organisation by Ankara. HDP denies any links but says it respects the group’s jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan and has mediated between the Turkish government and the PKK in the past.
“Those who think that they can prevent us with detentions, hostage-taking operations, should know that we will not take a step back from our struggle,” reads the statement from Green Left Party, vowing to unseat the “one-man regime,” alluding to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Turkish authorities detained over 120 pro-Kurdish lawyers, journalists, activists and politicians, including a senior official of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) in raids early Tuesday morning, less than three weeks ahead of critical elections.
Signed by the co-spokespersons of the party, Green Left’s statement claimed that the order for the detentions came from the presidential palace. “Until now, 30 of our friends have been arrested, and statements are being taken from the others,” it said.
Tuesday's wave of arrests continued on Wednesday when Green Left parliamentary candidate Ayten Donmez was detained on charges that include “membership in a military terrorist group.”
Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu claimed on Tuesday that Green Left candidates include individuals from the mountain [Qandil], implying that they have ties to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
The Brussel-based International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), in a statement with 26 other human rights and civil society organisations, called on Turkish authorities to stop “systematic harassment and intimidation” of Kurdish journalists, media workers, media outlets, the lawyers that defend them, and Kurdish political party officials.
IFJ also called on the authorities to immediately give all those detained access to legal counsel and to disclose full details of any charges brought against them.
Green Left Party is an umbrella under which the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) will participate in the May 2023 elections. HDP formed the party as a precautionary measure as they are facing a court case seeking to shut them down.
HDP has been accused for years of having ties with the PKK, an armed group struggling for Kurdish rights in Turkey and named a terrorist organisation by Ankara. HDP denies any links but says it respects the group’s jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan and has mediated between the Turkish government and the PKK in the past.
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